This recipe makes about 4.5 litres of gently fizzing drink and relies entirely on the natural wild yeasts present on the flower pollen.
Overview
- Prep time: 30 minutes
- Fermentation time: 2 weeks
- Difficulty: Easy (requires patience and careful bottling)
- Yield: Approx. 4.5 Litres (6-8 bottles)
Ingredients
- 6 to 8 large elderflower heads (fully open, creamy blossoms picked on a dry, sunny day)
- 700g white granulated sugar
- 4.5 litres water (filtered or non-chlorinated)
- 2 unwaxed lemons (zest pared into strips and juiced)
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
Instructions
- Prepare the Flowers: Shake the elderflower heads gently to remove any bugs or dust. Do not wash them, as washing removes the natural yeast and pollen that provides the flavour and fermentation. Trim away as much of the green stalks as possible, leaving just the small florets (the stems can add a bitter flavor).
- Dissolve the Sugar: Pour about 1 litre of boiling water over the sugar in a large, thoroughly clean 10-litre fermenting bucket. Stir until the sugar is fully dissolved.
- Combine Ingredients: Add the remaining 3.5 litres of cold water to the bucket to cool the syrup down. Stir in the lemon juice, lemon zest strips, vinegar, and the prepped elderflowers.
- Primary Fermentation: Cover the bucket loosely with a clean muslin cloth or tea towel. Leave it at room temperature in a cool, dark place for 48 hours, stirring once or twice a day. By the second day, you should see tiny bubbles forming on the surface, indicating the wild yeast is active. (Note: If no bubbles appear after 48 hours, stir in a tiny pinch of commercial champagne yeast to help it along).
- Strain and Settle: Pour the liquid through a fine sieve lined with sterilized muslin into a clean jug or bucket, squeezing the flowers gently to extract all the flavour. Let it sit for a few hours so any heavy sediment drops to the bottom.
- Bottling: Using a funnel, siphon or pour the liquid into clean, pressure-rated bottles (such as heavy glass swing-top bottles or recycled plastic carbonated soda bottles). Leave at least a 3cm gap (headspace) at the top of each bottle, and seal tightly.
- Secondary Carbonation: Keep the bottles at room temperature for about one week to build carbonation.
- Store and Age: Move the bottles to a cool place or the refrigerator to halt active fermentation. It is ready to drink in about 2 weeks, but the flavor improves if left to age for 4 to 6 weeks. Serve thoroughly chilled.
Safety Tips & Variations
- Explosion Risk: Elderflower champagne is incredibly volatile. Carbon dioxide builds up rapidly in the sealed bottles. “Burp” the bottles daily during the first week by slightly loosening the cap to release excess gas pressure, then re-sealing. If using plastic bottles, you can feel them get rock-hard when the pressure is high.
- Avoid Cyanide: Only use the tiny flower clusters. The thick green stems, leaves, and bark of the elder plant contain trace elements of cyanide-inducing glycosides and must be discarded.
