Last year I made some elderflower fizz using a recipe which had been handed down to an internet acquaintance by her grandmother. It was quite nice after a month, rather nice after 6 months and extremely nice 12 months on. It's gone all fizzy and refreshing. The only thing is that it is a bit cloudy and has quite a bit of sediment.
This year, having discovered the existence of a happy elder tree at the bottom of the allotment, we have made some more. I've left about half the flowers on the tree so we can do something with elderberries later in the summer
Ingredients:
8 elderflower heads in full bloom (but not once they've started to go brown, carefully rinsed to remove dust and small creatures
1 lemon/lime sliced
2 tablespoons of white vinegar
680 grams sugar (I used a mix of white and soft brown)
4.5 litres cold water
(The quantities are odd because the recipe is over 100 years old and therefore uses gallons and pounds! I had to ask how many pints there are in a gallon so I could measure using my pint jug!!!)
Method
Put all the ingredients in a large container with a lid (I used a plastic box that I bought for curing ham, but haven't yet used for this purpose)
Stir around carefully so everything is mixed in. Put the lid on the container
Leave for four or five days (You may find that it has gone a bit manky when you come to strain it. I don't worry, cos it's about to be strained!!)
Strain through muslin and pour into bottles with hinged lids, leaving room at the top for gases to accumulate.
You can drink this after a month but it is very much better if you put it aside for 6-12 months
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