Homemade Elderflower liqueur is a great way to use up the abundance of elderflowers that are just starting to bloom right now.
Every year i make syrups or cordials with them and but i really love to create liqueurs too.
I love the musky perfume from elderflowers, It fills the whole house with its intoxicating scent as you return home from picking them.
Scroll to the bottom of this post for an elderflower spritz recipe to use the syrup with.
It pairs so well with lemon, I also added a tbsp oh honey to the syrup.
For this one i used vodka, but gin would also work well. I had ran out of my favourite St Germain elderflower liqueur, so i went with vodka for this so i could use this as a substitute.
The flowers are best picked on a dry day, ideally before noon. Rain can wash away the pollen which adds to the flavour.
The tiny flowers need to be removed from the stems. Sometimes they come away easily when rubbed over, or given a good shake, but other times i find different methods work.
For this i trimmed off as much of the stems as i could, then added the vodka and then removed the rest of the stems when they were wet. The weight of the liquid helped clump the flowers together. Do what ever works best for you.
Washing the elderflower heads will remove the pollen, so i would not recommend this to remove any creepy crawly’s. Just shake the flower heads so any bugs fall off.
Use a vegetable peeler to remove the zest from one lemon, but try not to remove any of the white pith.
Homemade Elderflower liqueur
Course: drinkDifficulty: EasyHomemade elderflower and lemon liqueur
Ingredients
Approx 15-20 large elderflower heads freshly picked
1 large unwaxed lemon zested into strips
1litre vodka
2 tbsp lemon juice
100g caster sugar
1 tbsp honey
100 ml water
Directions
- Pick the elderflowers on a dry day if possible, earlier in the day the better. Shake them off to remove any bugs.
- Cut the flowers off the stalks and remove as much as the stems as you can.
What I tend to do is remove as much of the stems as I can and add the vodka. then cut the rest of the stems off when they are wet- I find the weight of the liquid makes the flowers clump together so it is easier. Place them in a large sterilized jar. - Using a vegetable peeler, remove the zest from one large unwaxed lemon.
Place into the jar with the elderflowers and pour over the vodka, ensure they are covered. Add the lemon juice (this is optional) the flowers at the top that are not covered will turn brown but it won’t ruin the taste. - Place on an airtight lid.
leave to infuse in a dark place. You can do this for between 4 days to 4 weeks. I tend to like it leave it 2 weeks. - Make a sugar syrup by gently heating the sugar, honey if using with the water until the sugar has dissolved.
Allow to cool. - strain the vodka using a muslin cloth or fine sieve to remove the elderflower’s and zest. Squeeze to remove it all.
I like to add half the simple syrup and taste, then add more as needed.
Decant into sterilised bottles, it gets darker, and better with age but you can enjoy it right away.
Here is a little video i made, the light was so pretty.
Serving idea to use your Elderflower liqueur
Elderlfower spritz
INGREDIENTS
- 1 1/2 OZ elderflower liqueur
- 2 OZ prosecco
- 2 OZ soda water
- lemon twist
DIRECTIONS
- Pour Elderflower liqueur into chilled coup glass. (you can add ice if you wish)
- Top with prosecco and soda water.
- Give it a good stir with a bar spoon.
- Gently twist a lemon peel on top of your drink
