Elderflower syrup (or cordial) is an incredibly versatile, delicately flavored liquid. Add to cocktails, mocktails, baked goods, and whipped cream. This recipe for elderflower syrup is adapted from a very detailed post by Nicola Lamb. It’s very easy to make. Cleaning the flowers is less work than cleaning elderberries for syrup. With a relatively low sugar content, this recipe is best frozen after a week or two of refrigeration. It makes just less than two quarts. What is the difference between a cordial and a syrup?
Ingredients
- •160 grams (6 ounces) elderflower heads, cut from the stems
- •Zest of one large lemon, cut into thin strips
- •50 grams (3 ½ tablespoons) lemon juice
- •4 grams (1 teaspoon) citric acid
- •440 grams (1 ¾-2 cups) sugar
Preparation
- Soak rinse the elderflowers in a large bowl of water to remove any bugs and debris. Drain and add the strips of lemon zest to the flowers.
- Pour 2 cups of boiling water over the sugar and stir to dissolve.
- When fully dissolved, add 1500 ml (6 ¼ cups) cold water, the lemon juice and citric acid, and pour over the elderflower heads and lemon zest strips.
- Cover and leave for 12-24 hours
- Strain through a fine mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth.
- Funnel into clean quart bottles bottles, or several smaller ones and store in the fridge. Freeze after two weeks for longer storage.