Homemade elderflower cordial
Here’s a recipe for the perfect summer drink, should you be so lucky as to find elderberry growing where you live.
The elderflower (Holunderblüten) cordial is something I always associate with the mountains of Central Europe. I first tasted it when I was on a solo train tour of Europe in my early twenties, and arrived at the house of my Austrian friends living outside of Salzburg just as they were in the process of bottling enormous quantities of elderflower syrup. We mixed it with bubbly water. I’d never tasted anything quite like it — it was sweet, delicate and aromatic.
Now I associate elderflower cordial with the house in a mountain village in Northern Italy where Dan’s grandmother grew up, where we’ve stayed numerous times. In this German-speaking part of the Dolomites, again, elderflower-based drinks are on offer everywhere. Dan and his brother remember their grandmother serving them Holunderblütensaft when they first visited this mountain house at age twelve.
In part because of these memories, we’ve planted three elders at our homestead. Right now, they are filled with the delicate, lace-like, fragrant flowers. To make this cordial, simply gather about 25-30 flower heads on a dry warm day, just when the tiny buds have opened. Be sure to leave some flowers on the trees for elderberry picking later on.
In fact, what an amazing plant! There are so many other uses for the elderberry tree: elderflower pancakes and elderberry syrup for colds. Many people swear by the medicinal properties of elderberry; it’s also long been used for making country wine. The berries also make a really beautiful dye, with hues ranging from pink to lavender and purple. The flowers can be used in jam, sherbet… or cake.
Here’s the recipe for the cordial. Gather for free from nature, follow a few simple steps, and enjoy!
Elderflower cordial
About 30 large elder flowerheads
zest of 3 lemons and 1 orange (unwaxed), plus their juice
1.5 liters/6.5 cups of water
1 kg/2.2 lbs sugar
1 headed tsp of citric acid
Place the flower heads in a large bowl or pot along with the citrus zest. Bring water to boil and pour it over the flowers, leave to infuse for a few hours or overnight.
The next day, strain the liquid by pouring it through cheese cloth or the equivalent into a saucepan. Pour in the sugar and the citric acid, then stir while heating until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to a gentle boil for a couple of minutes, then cool. Funnel into glass bottles (sterilized if you will be storing the syrup for a long time).
