Elderflower syrup

When I was a child, we weren't allowed any soft drinks - on rare occasions, when we had visitors, my Mum would buy some apple and orange juice and the only time when we had fizzy drinks was when we went to a restaurant. And we didn't have any Ribena either... instead, home-made cordial, or syrup, was the word! My parents used to grow large quantities of red currants in their vegetable garden and once a year, our backs sunburnt and our fingers bright red from picking kilos of these tiny jewels, they would set out to make tons of jam as well as a supply of syrup that would last for the whole year to come. My Mum cut right down on the sugar, which made it a very refreshing drink to have, but not really my favourite thing.
When we went to my granny or my great aunt, though, we always chose to drink elderflower syrup. I am not too keen on elderberries, but the syrup you make out of the flowers is so deliciously fruity, yet refreshing, it's hard to beat. Although I usually prefer flat to fizzy water, elderflower is great with sparkling - it really makes the "bouquet" stand out much more.
And since I am already borrowing wine jargon, let me confess that I love to add some of this syrup to a glass of champagne... the perfect aperitif, and certainly a favourite of mine for the summer... forget Pimm's, Buck's Fizz or Kir Royal, champagne with elderflower syrup really plays in a different league!
(Quite obviously, anything promoting the consumption of alcohol should be followed by some health advice: so here it goes: apparently, elderflower syrup contains loads of vitamin C, so prepare a tankful of it - it'll keep your immune system ready to fight the winter, not matter what the temperatures!)

Elderflower syrup

100 elderflower heads
5 kg sugar
8 lemons (cut in wedges or rounds)
8 limes (cut in wedges)
5 l boiling water
150 g citric acid

Elderflowers seem to attract lice in large quantities, no make sure your's are not infested with uninvited guests before using them.
Stuff the elderflower heads, lemons and limes into large heat-resistant glass jars, divide the sugar evenly amongst them and top off with boiling water. Leave to cool (uncovered), then place on the windowsill and let infuse for 3 days, covered, but not tightly sealed - just enough to keep any insects out.
On the third day, remove the elderflower and citrus fruits, drain through a fine-meshed sieve or a filter. Put into a large pot, bring to a boil, then add the citric acid and simmer for 10 minutes.
Fill into hot, sterilised bottles and keep in the fridge.

Comments

[Judith]

Wow, that sounds good. If I knew where to get elderflowers i would give it a try. BTW I love your recipes and pictures. They are great.

[Dagmar]

Elderflower syrup with champagne sounds really refreshing and tasty. I love the photo! I wish I knew were to get Elderflowers, I don't know anyone with a garden except for my brother and he only has rhubarb :-)

[johanna]

judith, glad you like it. i picked those elderflowers on a walk with my little boy recently - they were growing in abundance just across the river from us. you must look out for them, they grow on bushes and in spring, they develop heads of white flowers which are approximately 7-10 cm wide... the smell is unmistakeable!
dagmar, it's funny you should say that, i have actually just made some rhubarb syrup, too - using your very own recipe... and it was absolutely delightful!!!!! (will post on it when i am back from hols!)

[Gill]

I too love to make elderflower cordial. My recipe doesn't involve simmering the syrup at all, and it broke my heart to have to throw several bottles of it away a few years ago, because we made more than we could drink. We now freeze it in plastic ice-cream tubs so that we can drink in the summer all year round. It's a mad scramble to make as much as we can manage during the two or three weeks the elderflowers in our garden are in bloom but well worth it because, as you rightly say, it's delicious - in Prosecco or sparkling Moscato too.

[johanna]

Gill, that's such a clever idea!!! i must do that, too. especially to add to champagne as well... and it'll keep it cool AND enhance the taste!

[keiko]

Hi Johanna - this looks/sounds wonderful - I've been looking for fresh elderflower without success... I like the idea of adding the syrup into champagne.

[Niki]

I tasted my first elderflower fizzy drink the other day! It was a revelatory moment, because I've grown up reading English books that mention elderflower cordial. I was at a cafe that was trialling a new range of soft drinks and they gave me this. It was lovely; not too sweet (more soda water than fizzy drink) and very refreshing. Good for summer - not so good for our current winter. I loved the taste; to us it was very much like the taste of lychees!

[Eddy]

Hi,

You can find some Elderflower syrup on Lepicerie.com

http://www.lepicerie.com/customer/product.php?productid=181103&cat=284&page=2

I have tested, and the company seems correct. My order arrived on time.

Thank you for the recipes

[johanna]

hi eddy, thanks for the link - it is, however, the elderFLOWER syrup that is most divine, which l'epicerie also seem to have: http://www.lepicerie.com/customer/product.php?productid=181102&cat=284&page=2

[tariq aziz]

i want to tast the elderFLOWER syrup but i dont dont know that is it available in pakistan & where? plz ineorm me about it

[KAREN]

DOES ANYONE KNOW HOW LONG THE SYRUP KEEPS AND WHAT IS THE CITRIC ACID FOR AND WHERE DO YOU GET IT AND COULD YOU DO THE SAME ONLY WITH BERRIES?? THANKS KAREN

[johanna]

Hi Karen,

I still have one bottle of the batch I made that day in the fridge and it still tastes great. The colour has turned a bit darker, but that’s about it.
The citric acid is for preserving, you can buy it in any UK pharmacy, it comes in little boxes of 50 g I believe. Ask behind the counter.

You can definitely do the same with berries, but I cannot be sure about how long it keeps. Usually, any cordial/syrup involving soft fruit would be boiled before preserving it, though – and doesn’t therefore need any acid. You can Take any type of berries, wash them, dry them carefully, heat in a pot and boil for a few minutes, then pass through a very fine sieve/pudding cloth. You can use a “passoire” http://tinyurl.com/32epup for this initially, then strain it again through something fine-meshed. Then return to a pot and, using 1.5 kilos of sugar over 1 litre of juice, boil until sugar has dissolved completely and fill into sterlilised bottles. Again, this should keep for at least 6 months, but more likely well over a year.
I hope this helps!

[Golly]

Ooooo ... I've just picked a whole bag of elderflower heads when I went for a walk at lunch. Can't wait to make some syrup and try it with some Cava. I'll need to divide the recipe down to maybe 25% but I'll give it a go at the weekend.

[Sylvie, Rappahannock Cook & Kitchen Gardener]

Karen - It's my understanding that elderberries are (mildly?) poisonous unless fully ripe, and that for some of the species, the seed is poisonous. So beware if making syrup from elderberries.

[johanna]

Sylvie, all parts of the elderberry bush contain toxins, the berries also do to a very small extent - but the toxicity it completely lost in the cooking process.
never eat them raw, but cooked and in cordial form, the berries are not toxic, on the contrary, they have great beneficial effects on your health.

[Chuck]

RE: Poisonous Elderberries

While I do not have any mortality statistics regarding Elderberries, as a child I consumed quite a few Elderberries over the years with no ill effects. I think the taste and size would be a deterrent to consuming enough to harm anyone. Growing up I was around Elderberries year around. My Grandfather made Elderberry Blossom Wine and Elderberry Wine. My mother made Elderberry jelly. While they my not be harmless they have not appeared that harmful to anyone in my family.

[tina shaffer]

what else can be used in a recipe that calls for the elderflower syrup? What can I use in place of the syrup?

[Jeremy]

I was in the UK last week and saw the elderflowers just coming into bloom. Here in the Czech Republic they are out, but mainly in industrial areas - probably the Co2 speeds up their growth. I will wait until they are out in the hedgerows around where I live, well away from roads and anything industrial.
In my recipe,(http://www.jeremytaylor.eu/elderflower_syrup.htm ) I use white vinegar instead of citric acid but it has the same effect. I also use more sugar than Johanna which means I don't have to keep the bottles in a fridge - though I do have to dilute the syrup more. I like the idea of drinking it with champagne - or sekt as it is called over here. I'll give that a go in a week or two when the first batch is ready. In time to toast an English victory at the World Cup perhaps? :-)

[johanna]

Hi Jeremy,

your comment comes very timely, I recently started a de-cluttering project around here as well be moving to singapore shortly - and guess what i found in the back of one cupboard? a bottle of elderflower syrup from way back when... same recipe, no fridge, and it still kept just fine, it still tastes delicious!
i was wandering along a hedhe of beautiful elderflowers the other day, they smell gorgeous! i was tempted to pick them, but i am leaving for spain tomorrow, so i couldnt have made the syrup... and i also kind of want to minimise what we move to asia, so preserving even more wouldnT have been the greatest.
i wonder if i can find it over there?
anyway, thanks for your comment
i hope ill see you around
johanna