Mama's Elderflower Champagne Recipe

I've been experimenting with making Elderflower Champagne for quite a few years now. I've tried various recipes; from famous tv chefs as well as recipes from magazines and online sites. I've tried glass bottles with flip top lids as well as plastic. I've caused serious destruction in my old kitchen with exploding bottles, as well as experiencing dejection when opening a flat, lifeless bottle that should be hissing and fizzing.

I've tried using different quantities of flower heads, and different measurements of sugar, lemon and vinegar.

From my experience, I can tell you now that recipes calling for 7 or 8 heads do not work. There is not enough yeast produced and they turn out flat and you end up having to pour it down the drain, feeling rather sad. For recipes calling for 25+ heads, this is far too much; you will end up with explosions and a sticky mess.

A few years ago I made a batch in glass bottles with the flip lids. Yes, they look really cool, and even cooler if you are labelling them up to give as presents. But, I'm telling you they are not worth the bother. As they are flip lids you cannot release a bit of the gas, like you can with plastic screw top bottles. Therefore they are fairly likely to explode. 

We had a situation like that where a couple of bottles exploded. We then had to open the rest of the bottles (as we knew they would explode anyway), which was terrifying as every time you popped a lid it was like a gun going off. It absolutely covered the kitchen from floor to ceiling. There was no way of opening those bombs in a careful manner. I remember cleaning our kitchen late into the night, as elderflower champagne dripped off every piece of electrical equipment we had.

Your best bet is to save some plastic bottles. We get through quite a bit of sparkling water in our house, so I just reuse those. I find that this recipe fills x3 Lidl sparkling water bottles. Over the weeks, as you see the shape of the bottles start to distend you can unscrew the bottle a little bit each day so that you hear the air hiss out, and then do it up again. Try not to let out all of the air, just release a bit of the pressure.

Lots of recipes ask for yeast. Whatever anyone tells you, do not listen to them. You do not need to add yeast to make elderflower champagne. Pick the heads on a sunny morning when the bees will have been pollinating the flowers. This will produce a good natural yeast when fermentation is taking place. Adding yeast will only cause you problems and upset further down the line, in my opinion.

There are also recipes that tell you to use boiling water. I have found that that method doesn't work well either. Using cold water and then bringing it to a light boil is by far superior.

If the heads you are picking are small then I would count two as one large head for this recipe. But if you have nice big heads then x20 will definitely suffice. I've added more before thinking it would be a good idea, only to see disastrous results later.

Something that has most definitely helped with my elderflower champagne production has been a preserving kit that my father-in-law and his wife gave me for my birthday. It has a metal stand that you screw together and attach to a bowl. Over the top of the stand you hang a muslin bag (included in the pack) which has a rubber neck so that it stays attached whilst you pour your mixture through it. I fully recommend getting one of these if you want to get serious.

Click the link to see the muslin strainer stand:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Norpro-Jelly-Strainer-Stand-With/dp/B0012C5ZPK

Elderflower Champagne
0.5kg Sugar (Half a bag) - you could use caster or granulated

x20 Elderflower heads (Pick in the morning)

x2 Lemons (Thinly sliced)

x2 Tbsp white wine vinegar

Put sugar into a large pan, cover with cold water (my largest pan holds approx 4.5L)

Bring to a light boil, stirring the sugar

Pour it into a big plastic brewing container (or whatever you have) and allow the syrup to cool

Add the sliced lemons, elderflower heads and white wine vinegar

Stir. Cover with a clean tea towel

Leave overnight, for a day at least (I don't leave it too long or it can start to go mouldy)

Strain through a muslin cloth into a bowl or similar

Pour into plastic bottles (leave a gap at the top for air)

Store for 4 weeks and then open. Serve with ice.

Once you've opened a bottle, you can keep it in the fridge, but it will go flat within 24 hours. The best thing to do is enjoy the whole bottle in one go!

Elderflowers are so beautiful and I just love the process of making this gorgeous stuff. I get up early and make the syrup. I leave it to cool whilst I prepare for the day ahead. Once I'm dressed I nip out and cut some flowers from a nearby tree. Elder trees are often on common, public grounds, making it pretty easy for you to find and pick the blooms. I used to collect them from Durdham Downs in Bristol, but now I am lucky that there is a tree growing on the edge of the cemetery by my house.

Maybe I love this tree because it symbolises judgement, transformation, death and regeneration, fate and the inevitable. It is known as the Elder Mother, or Queen of Herbs. The elder mother or faery is a spirit of transformation and the crossing of thresholds. Generally seen as an old woman, the elder faery advises on what to cast away and what to take up (I imagine this is why the Elder wand in the Harry Potter series is omnipotent).

Traditionally, all parts of Elder are useful medicinally. The berries and the leaves are both rich in vitamin C. The leaves can be made into ear drops to treat pain and inflammation. The flowers make a tea that is good for treating coughs and irritable throats, as well as being made into a skin cleanser and lotion. The bark of the new small twigs can be made into a laxative. The bark, roots, berries and leaves can all be used as a dye. And the berries and flowers are good for making jam, wine, vinegar, and syrups.

It is thought that growing an elder in your garden will protect your property from misfortune and harm.

In Europe the elder was planted in cemeteries to keep away the evil spirits (it seems that the tree by my house not only gives us a wonderful drink and scents the street with a lovely aroma, it also protects us).

Witches were said to be able to turn themselves into elder trees. Gypsies believe that it is very bad luck to cut down and burn elder wood and that the Elder Mother will take revenge. This superstition arises from an instinctive realisation that a lack of respect for nature is dangerous to the human race.

Elderflower Cordial

As an added bonus, here is Mary Berry's Elderflower Cordial Recipe below. I've made it for a couple of years now and it never fails. It's delicious and so much nicer than shop-bought cordial which is always a bit too sweet.


Ingredients:
1.5kg/3lb 5oz caster sugar
2 lemons
25 elderflower heads
50g/1¾oz citric acid
2 Campden tablets

The cordial will keep for 2-3 months in the fridge. 

You can buy the citric acid and campden tablets from your local brewing shop.

Preparation method:
Put the sugar and 1.5 litre/3lb 5oz water into a large pan. Bring to the boil, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and cool.

Slice the lemons thinly. Put into a large plastic box or a bucket.

Add the elderflower heads to the lemons with the citric acid and the Campden tablets. Pour over the cooled sugar syrup. Cover and leave overnight or up to a couple of days.

Sieve and strain through muslin into sterilised bottles and store in the fridge. To serve, dilute to taste with still or sparkling water. 

(If sterilising glass bottles make sure you remove rubber seals, then put in the oven 120C for 30 minutes).