http://www.channel4.com/4food/recipes/chefs/hugh-fearnley-whittingstall/elderflower-champagne-recipe
http://www.rivercottage.net/recipes/elderflower-cordial/
http://www.hopsandvineshomebrew.co.uk/page.asp?id=71
http://www.permaculture.co.uk/readers-solutions/homemade-elderflower-wine-1
I have made these drinks for the past few years starting off with a recipe in a book which unfortunately I lost.
This year we have made all three
For elderflower champagne I used
4 litres of hot water
700 grams of sugar
the juice of 4 lemons
the zest or skin grated off the 4 lemons first
two lemons sliced into the mix (my addition)
the half lemons squeezed for the juice added
2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar
about 20 elderflower heads in full flower and as cut from the bush with scissors (minus bugs)
The water was poured over the sugar and stirred to dissolve it in a fermenting bucket (any really clean bucket will do). I use sterilising fluid bought from wine making shops or wilkingsons as a powder and made up to really clean mine.
Vicky stirring the mix
lemon zest grated
you add the lemon zest lemon juice and in my case remains and slices of lemon to the bucket
add two tablespoons of white wine vinegar
and throw in your elderflower heads
Leave for about a week as it starts to ferment some people add a pinch of wine or champagne yeast after a day but I find the natural yeasts on the flower heads work well
Use a funnel and I find a metal sieve very useful with muslin in the sieve then pour the liquid into bottles .
I use grolsch top bottles **There is a risk of bottles exploding and these stoppers stop that happening**
