Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Elderflower Champagne

I was inspired by this concoction while trooping around some ECo-Friendly blogs.
Elderflower
brought to you by: Alice in Blogland
The very first elderflowers are just coming out in Leeds. They make the most delicious fizzy, alcoholic summer drink, and it's unbelievably easy. Alice is making making 20 litres in a huge plastic crate.
This makes 5 litres:

• 8.8 pints (5 litres) cold water

• 10 Elderflower heads (you can leave a bit of the stalk on)

• 1 and one fifth lbs sugar (2.4 Kilos)

• 2 and a half lemons (chop them up small, with rind and skins still on)

• 2 and a half tablespoons white wine vinegar



Mix all that together, and either put a loose lid on the container or make a lid by tying some cloth over the top.


Stand for 72 hours, stirring whenever you remember.


Then strain it into plastic bottles. Use screwcap plastic bottles designed to have pressurised fizzy drinks in them - other kinds can explode as the champagne becomes fizzy. Don't use glass bottles.


Leave for 2 weeks, releasing the fizz every 2 days (more at first).


Then drink it somewhere sunny.