Elderflower Cordial

Week two in the Uk. We stay in the country side. Along the drives up to the house, many Elderflowers bushes in the hedgerow. I always enjoy drinking Elderflower cordial, and June is the best time to collect the flowers. So I take the opportunity to ask Aunty Pat (my mother in law's sister) the recipe, since last year she gave us a bottle of her home made. I reduce the sugar  and add more elderflower heads to enhance fragrance. 

Ingredients

2 pt  (1.2 L) of boiled water

1 lbs  (600 gr) sugar

30 fully bloom Elderflower head

2 lemon, use the peel and the juice

45 mg citric acid

Preparation

                                     

• Shake the flower head to ensure no insect remain inside the flower.
• Remove the stalk and immerse in cold water, strain and put in a bowl
• Take the zest of the lemon with potato peeler or with paring knife leave the lemon to take the juice the following morning.
• Pour in the boiled water over elderflower and the lemon peel
• Leave it cool and cover with cling film 
• 
  

• The next morning, add the lemon juice in the mixture and put it through the sieve or muslin cloth

• Add in the sugar and citric acid and bring it to the boil and remove immediately from the heat.
• Leave it to cool before storing it in sterilised bottle. 
• Serve with cold water or hot water, even use it as a mixture in your cocktail as many cocktail recipe suggested.