More Home Made Christmas Gifts - Elderflower Cordial

Elderflower Cordial is a great, inexpensive seasonal treat. For those of you in New Zealand, its not too late to get out there and gather up enough flowers for a brew of this lovely floral drink. We gathered ours from up at the farm. Though they do grow along the roads everywhere, its best to find a tree that's away from the pollution and dust. It takes a couple of days to soak, so allow yourself three days if your planning this as a gift. 



Elderflower Cordial

Boil and cool 2 litres of water in a large bowl. Add the rind of a lemon. 

Next stir in the juice of four oranges and 1 lemon, 1.5kg of sugar and 3 tablespoons of tartaric acid. 

Stir this mixture all around until the sugar is dissolved. 

Next add approximately 24 large elderflower heads. 

Push them down into the water, cover the bowl with plastic food wrap, and leave in a cool place for 48 hours to steep. 









Strain the mixture through a fine cloth. 

I strained mine twice: first through a kitchen cloth to remove the flowers, then through a tea towel to remove any finer pieces. 

Place into sterilised bottles and seal. I collected up a whole lot of used juice bottles. Remove the labels by pouring boiling water inside; the heat melts the glue and makes removing the label much easier. 


Store in the fridge until required. If left at room temperature it may start to ferment! For longer storage, place in half filled plastic soft drink bottles and freeze. We often mix ours with soda water, but it is also nice added to sparkling wine. 

Happy Holidays!