Enjoyed here with a healthy glug added to a vodka and lemonade, but also great mixed with hot water for a sweet floral tea or just with water and ice.
It can also be used in cooking - for a twist on strawberry jam, or in cakes and sweets for summery flavour. I think there'll be some experiments with it in the coming weeks.
A bit of a process to make, but the actual time you're giving it attention is very little - most of the time is leaving to stew, or leaving to strain, so it can just sit on the side.
It's worth the wait.
Makes 500ml
500ml water
500g sugar
5-6 heads of elderflower (still fresh, with all of the flowers open)
1 tbsp lemon juice
Add the sugar and lemon juice to the water in a saucepan.
Turn on to a very low heat to warm gently. Stir periodically until the sugar has all dissolved.
Rinse the elderflowers gently in cold water to remove any dust or bugs
Turn the heat off and add the elderflower to the syrup, put the lid on the pan and leave for 24 hours to infuse.
Remove the elderflowers and strain the syrup to remove any fallen petals (this takes a while, I left it overnight)
(This is the part where people usually use muslin or a tea towel, but as I work in science some filter papers weren't hard to come by)
Heat the syrup through gently, but without it coming to the boil, then pour into bottles or jars to store.
Keeps for a few weeks in the fridge or can be frozen to keep it longer
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