Elderflower sparkling water, three ways
The unsweetened infusion, the syrup, and the ratio that makes the finished drink.
In season: Late May through mid June where it grows, and the window is about three weeks. Dried elderflower covers the rest of the year at 1/2 cup dried per litre.
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Infused, unsweetened
Use
8 fresh flower heads per 1 litre, or 1/2 cup dried
Method
Shake the heads out over the sink to clear the insects and do not wash them. The pollen carries the flavour and rinsing takes it straight off. Snip the florets away with scissors and leave the thick green stems behind. Cover with cold still water, refrigerate, strain through muslin.
Time
4 hours for a light floral, 12 hours for the full muscat character. Past 24 the pretty part fades and a sharp sweaty note comes up in its place.
Sparkling
Still water for the steep. Elderflower needs hours and carbonation is gone inside one. Top after straining.
Keeps
3 days refrigerated. It is unsweetened and unacidified, so it turns faster than the cordial does.
The syrup
Ratio
20 flower heads : 1.5kg sugar : 1.5 litres water : 2 sliced lemons : 50g citric acid
Method
Boil the water, dissolve the sugar, take it off the heat and let it fall to hand warm. Add the florets, lemon slices and citric acid. Cover, leave 24 hours at room temperature, strain through muslin and bottle.
Yield
About 2 litres of cordial
Keeps
4 to 6 weeks refrigerated with the citric acid in, 1 to 2 weeks without it. A year frozen.
Note
The citric acid does two jobs. It holds the shelf life out to a month and it pulls more flavour out of the flowers during the steep. Leave it out and you get a duller cordial you have a fortnight to finish.
The finished soda
1 part cordial to 6 parts sparkling water over ice
This is a strong cordial and 1:4 is cloying. A squeeze of lemon over the top brings the flower back forward once the sugar flattens it.
What doesn't work: Cutting the heads off with an inch of stalk attached. The green stems and leaves are bitter and they carry the plant's cyanogenic compounds, so cordial made with stalk in it tastes vegetal and faintly of almond skins. Scissors, florets only, five extra minutes at the sink.
Goes with: LemonCucumberMint