Elderflower Champagne dahling? It’s home made…
Ahhh, Hubby and I love the boat road down to the lough. This time of year it’s filled with the most beautiful sights and smells: the baby burgers and all growing up into potential rump steaks, their mamas still snorting protectively as we pass, the brook gurgles and bubbles, hidden amongst a hundred different wild flowers, butterflies flutter by (sorry) and recently a beautiful, and surprisingly large Pine Marten dashed out in front of us, a teeny baby swinging alarmingly from its mouth.
This time of year, the Elders are in full bloom too. The beautiful smell makes us both nostalgic – me for the cricket meadow back home, and Hubby for getting up to no good near some trees, probably. So I happened to mention to Hubby that I’d seen a recipe for them deep fried in a kind of tempura batter. I’d also squirreled away a recipe for Elderflower Champagne from the River Cottage website (which I obviously then fiddled with) and we resolved to gather a load the next day and give it a go.
Well, it’s not a particularly hard process, and there’s no guarantee that you’ll be left with anything remotely drinkable at the end, but if you’d got some Elderflowers blooming near you, give this a go. It’s a bit of a laugh:
Elderflower Champagne
Elderflowers (you’ll probably need 20 to 30 flower heads)
2 kg sugar
4 litres hot water plus another 2 litres cold
2 limes, juiced and zested
2 lemons, juiced and zested
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
Dried yeast
So gather your flower heads and give them a quick rinse to get any bugs out. You’ll need something to make your champagne in – I used a new bucket from Woodies – make sure it’s very clean, obviously. Pour in the hot water and add your sugar, stirring until it dissolves, then top up to 6 litres with cold water. Stir in the lime and lemon juice and zest, the vinegar and the flowers. Now cover the top of the bucket with a clean tea towel or a baby muslin or something (not clingfilm, it needs to breathe), and peg the edges so no flies or icky things can get in. Leave it somewhere like a utility room – not too hot and stuffy and nice and airy – for a few days then add a couple of pinches of dried yeast, stirring well. Re-cover and leave for another four days, then strain well (through muslin or a clean cotton cloth) and bottle.
We used screw-top wine bottles that had been sterilised by washing in hot soapy water, rinsing, then baking in the oven. I’m not sure if this is safe, but nothing exploded so hey ho. Now you can leave your champagne anywhere from a couple of weeks to six months to mature (in the garage, in case of explosions) before chilling and cracking it open. Apparently the end result is very mildly alcoholic but makes a lovely mixer with gin too. I’ll let you know. Cheers!
26 Responses to “Elderflower Champagne dahling? It’s home made…”
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Except for the time there were about twenty bottles in a cupboard and one exploded. It caused a chain reaction, and they all went up. It was quite spectacular, and a little bit messy…
must.get.out.of.city…
Grandad: Ah yes, I’m a bit worried about the explosion issue. Especially as another writer recommended plastic bottles…ooer, the house martins in the garage could be in for an drenching!!
Tara: Well, I think they smell a bit like wee. Nice wee, though. If that’s possible. You can come for a visit too. We’ll partay!!!
And if that person can’t make it, can I come?
Promise not to make any cocktails of any kind… :O
Let us know how it is with the gin, huh? I miss gin.
Thrifty: Yeh, I read that (afterwards – oops!!). Just as well I didn’t explode the entire oven! So will it be fizzy then at all do you think?
Jay: Beetroot and Parsnip? No way! I’ll certainly let you know. And you must do that post. x
Ah Bug, Alice swimming in the beer, I guess it was a little like the hair of the dog !
Good work EM, we can use it to toast our wedding ?????
Deborah: It’s bound to be too good to be true though! x
Moon: I wonder if I’ll be allowed onto my Aer Lingus with potentially explosive elderberry champagne though?!
Medbh: Oh dear, that doesn’t sound promising. Ah well, we can always give it to the kids – might keep them quiet?
Weapons of Mass Destruction?
Or Bottles of Mass Intoxication?
I shall have to taste to find out…
HINT!!!
EM ; I wonder if Osama has thought of that ?
Moon: Heh. And I sent you my address, cheeky!
Ma: I’ll save you a few bottles. My, that’s one way to do the accounting!!x
[...] than match up with one of English Mum’s food recipes, I’ll just point you over to her Elderflower champagne recipe. Looks delicious. If only we had a summer to [...]