Homemade Elderflower Syrup

servings
4 servings
prep time
15 minutes
cook time
30 minutes
Three bottles of homemade elderflower syrup

Three bottles of homemade elderflower syrup

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

    1. 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.
    2. Pour 2 cups of boiling water over the sugar and stir to dissolve.
    3. 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.
    4. Cover and leave for 12-24 hours
    5. Strain through a fine mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth.
    6. Funnel into clean quart bottles bottles, or several smaller ones and store in the fridge. Freeze after two weeks for longer storage.

About the author

Diane Zatz is a graphic designer, educator, and editor at The Cook’s Cook. Diane and her husband divide their time between Philadelphia and their family farm in Lancaster County, Pa. They enjoy their off-screen time planting seeds and pulling weeds.

Diane Zatz

Diane Zatz

Diane Zatz is a design educator who grows vegetables and cooks obsessively when not clicking on a computer keyboard.

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