Elderflower Champagne Recipe & Cordial (2024)

FAQs

What's the difference between elderflower cordial and elderflower champagne? ›

As you can see from the two recipes below there is no difference in the ingredients between elderflower cordial and champagne. Only the ratios differ and of course the fact that elderflower cordial is not fermented. Elderflower has a strong association with 'Victorian' Britain.

The terms elderflower syrup and elderflower cordial are used interchangeably: they both mean a concentrated elderflower extract. This extract can be used in drinks, liqueurs, creams, and any other number of food items as an additional flavor profile and sweetener.

Flip-top bottles are harder to control as the fizzy foam may overflow before you can get it resealed and result in flat wine with almost no bubbles. After bottling, the room temperature elderflower champagne should be "burped" at least once a day to release excess gas and prevent explosions.

If your elderflower champagne is not fizzy, you can try troubleshooting by allowing more fermentation time, checking the yeast viability, ensuring sufficient sugar levels, ensuring proper bottle sealing, and monitoring fermentation temperature.

Remove the zest and extract the juice. The pith is unwanted as it can cause the elderflower to have a bitter taste.

DIY elderflower cordial (syrup) is versatile and significantly less expensive than prepared elderflower liqueur (like St. Germain). Cordial can be customized with dried or fresh elderflowers, different fruit juices, or liquor. Citric acid boosts acidity and extends shelf-life.

Why use citric acid in elderflower cordial? The addition of citric acid simply prevents the cordial from fermenting and acts as a preservative. You can buy citric acid for cordial online in a number of sizes depending on how you choose to use this versatile product.

In the U.S. we would just call the concentrated liquid a fruit syrup or flavored syrup. Some may have more specific names such as Grenadine or brand names such as Rose's lime juice . These are also the two that you are most likely to find in someone's kitchen or bar—or in fact at the grocery store.

Commercially produced cordials are generally sold as a concentrated squash and are usually diluted by one part cordial and ten parts water, thus a 500 ml bottle of cordial would be enough for 5.5 litres diluted. The high concentration of sugar in elderflower cordial gives it a long shelf life.

Any bottle that has had a fully carbonated fizzy drink is good or champagne or beer bottles. Simply siphon the wine into the bottles to within 25mls of the top.

Should I stir my elderflower champagne? ›

For the next 3–5 days, stir the contents of the bucket daily, making sure that any sediment of sugar gets dissolved. Quite soon the flowers will become waterlogged and sink, but as the yeast in the mixture becomes active, it will produce gas and the flowers will rise to the surface again.

For this reason, I only use screw-top plastic fizzy drink bottles for my elderflower champagne. Make sure they're fizzy drink bottles – the 1 litre and half litre bottles seem most 'stable' though you can use the 2l cola or lemonade bottles if you like. Don't use bottles from non-sparkling water or fruit juices.

Liqueurs And Cordials

Liqueurs are basically liquors that have been flavored and sweetened. The term is interchangeable with “cordial,” except in the U.K., where cordial can also just refer to a sweet, non-alcoholic liquid.

Introduction: Elderflower Cordial

It's a non-alcoholic concentrated syrup that can be mixed with sparkling water or soda water and ice to enjoy in the heat.

After 4-6 days the fermentation bubbles have slowed down and the liquid should be strained away from the flowers, fermented some more and bottled. The trick here is to avoid explosions! The easiest way is to ferment in a demijohn or plastic bottles until ready, and then bottle the fizz until you are ready to drink it.

An extract of the flower is used to make medicine. Elderflower is used for swollen sinuses (sinusitis), colds, influenza (flu), swine flu, bronchitis, diabetes, and constipation. It is also used to increase urine production (as a diuretic), to increase sweating (as a diaphoretic), and to stop bleeding.