Easy to make elderflower cordial! Fragrant and refreshing recipe for a classic summer drink. It will quickly become your favourite!
Happy June friends!
Can you believe we are half way through the year already? Me neither! But June is one of the best months in the whole year (at least it is in my calendar!), and it brings so much wonderful produce with it! Including the star of today’s recipe- elderflower!
What’s an elderflower?
In shortest way possible- it’s a flower from the elder tree. Elder trees are incredibly common across the UK, and if you are walking along the fields or countryside lanes, the chances of finding one are very high. It has these beautifully fragrant, lacy white tiny flowers, and they can be used to make wines, champagnes and cordials. As I’m not (yet) at the level of making my own wine or champagne, I thought I would share this simple, classic elderflower cordial recipe with you today…
Why you should make an elderflower cordial?
Because it’s like a summer in a bottle! This sweet and fragrant liquid can be used in so many different ways, and has some fantastic health benefits. It helps to fight colds and flu, but most importantly, it has a fantastic flavour! It can be mixed with some sparkling water, for a super refreshing elderflower presse, perfect to cool down with on a hot day. You can also add it to wine, prosecco, champagne or G+T, just to take it up a notch (or impress your guests).
What else can elderflower cordial be used for?
You can also enjoy it drizzled over some fruit salad or ice cream. Cordial can also be added to jams and jellies, or whipped into strawberry, raspberry or gooseberry fool. Last but not least, you can enjoy it in your baking too! Add a splash to your cake batter, or use it to infuse the sponge cake with. Yummo (and watch this space…)!
How to make cordial
Preparing and making cordial couldn’t be easier, but there are couple of things to watch out for. Shake the elderflower heads gently over the kitchen sink to get rid of any bugs or insects. Don’t be tempted to rinse the flowers, as this will strip them from the flavour and pollen. Trim/ remove the stalks and place all the flowers in a large pan. Don’t worry if you have some of the small green stalks left, they will be disposed later.
Cover the flowers in enough water to submerge them all, and make sure they stay under the water during cooking (topping up with more water if necessary). Strain the liquid through a muslin cloth or kitchen towel (you can also strain the lemon juice if you want your cordial to be completely clear), add sugar and bring it to the gentle boil & et voila!
This elderflower cordial will also taste great drizzled over tofu pancakes or could be used to infuse this vegan shortbread.
As always, let me know if you try this recipe by leaving me a comment below, and if you are really awesome, I would love you to rate it as well!
Summer classic- elderflower cordial. Ideal to sip on when the weather is hot, perfect to be mixed into cocktails, great for baking!
- 1 litre elderflowers (stalks removed/trimmed)
- 1 medium unwaxed lemon (juice and zest)
- 500 g granulated or caster sugar
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You will need enough elderflowers to fill 1 litre measure jar when they are lightly packed. Shake the flowers over the kitchen sink to clean out of any bugs, then place in a large saucepan and cover with cold water.
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Add lemon zest, and simmer for 30 minutes, topping up with more water if necessary, ensuring the flowers are submerged in water all the time.
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After 30 minutes, take off the heat and using a muslin cloth or a tea towel, strain the liquid into a jug/ bowl. Pour back into a saucepan and add sugar and lemon juice. Heat it gently until all the sugar dissolved. Bring to boil, skim off any scum from the top and set aside.
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Pour the liquid into sterilised bottles (leaving about 1 cm from the top) with sterilised screw tops, corks or twist-top lids.
- Calories are per 250 ml of cordial
- This recipe should make about 750 ml of concentrated cordial
- Bottled cordial will last for up to 6-7 weeks in the fridge. You can also freeze it in plastic containers or in ice cube trays.
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The colour is so beautiful, I need to make it!
Hi Marta! You really do! I think you would love that flavour! And thanks so much 🙂