Elderflower cordial

Nothing tastes more like summer than a glass of cold elderflower cordial. It’s so easy to make and it lasts for ages, which means you can have a little bit of summer during those darker autumn months. Here in Ireland the season for elderflowers are coming to an end but I still see lots of flowers, so you should be able to find enough for a batch of cordial.

Here’s my recipe. This makes about 4 x 500 ml plus 1 x 250 ml bottle

20 big elderflowers, you can use white or pink or a mix of both

2 kg sugar

1 litre water

2 organic lemons

25 grams citric acid

Start by rinsing the flowers and leave to dry slightly on kitchen paper.

Wash and slice the lemons.

Boil the water. Pour the sugar into a large bowl.

Pour the boiling water over the sugar and stir until the sugar has dissolved.

Add the elderflowers and the lemon and last the citric acid. Give a gentle stir and cover the bowl. Leave in the fridge for 3 days. You can leave it an extra day or two for a more intense flavour.

Note: the pink flowers have a milder taste so they a good to use for someone trying for the first time (plus you get a lovely colour)

Line a colander with a clean cloth with a bowl underneath. Pour the cordial through the cloth and let it drip slowly.

Discard the flowers and lemons (or use the lemons for marmalade but that’s a different recipe)

Pour into sterilised bottles using a funnel and ladle.

Store in a cool and dark place and in the fridge once opened.

Dilute the cordial in still water or sparkling water (you use about 2 tbsp of cordial in a 250 ml glass of water, but you adjust it to get the taste you like) . Or make my favourite cocktail; elderflower cordial, white wine and sparkling water.

Enjoy!