Elderflower Champagne

Now is the time to have a go at making elderflower champagne.  We had a go at making some today and I was surprised how easy it is to make.  Here is a really simple recipe.

Making elderflower champagne is easy:-

• Go pick half a dozen full elderflower heads ideally on a sunny day when they are most fragrant.

• Half fill a clean bucket with 2 gallons of cold water (thats 10 Litres for my Euro chums)

• dissolve 2lbs (1kg) of white sugar into the water

• shake any debris and insects clear from the elderflower heads and immerse in the water

• Cut two lemons in half squeeze juice into water and throw in the squeezed halfs

• add a splosh (4 tablespoons) of white wine vinegar

• stir gently and cover with a clean tea towel

• leave for 24 hours stirring occasionally

After 24 hours, sterilise plastic carbonated drinks bottles – 10 x 1 litre lemonade/pop bottles are ideal – and strain jugfuls of the liquor through a sieve or muslin cloth into the bottles and screw the plastic tops on firmly.

Leave for a week and the naturally occurring yeast on the elderflower heads begins to ferment with the sugar creating a very weak alcohol content but lots of carbon dioxide.