One of my favourite drinks in the summer is elderflower lemonade. It tastes fantastic, it is extremely refreshing on a hot day and it has bubbles. Since I made it for the first time, it become an essential drink for every bbq in my house. It takes just a few minutes to make and it can be stored for couple of months while still tasting fantastic. The bubbles in this drink are introduced in the drink by wild yeast that are naturally occurring on the elderflowers, in the air etc. and that start a fermentation process. Fermentation is similar to a winemaking fermentation so it is important to store ready lemonade in a cool place like a basement, cellar or fridge, otherwise lemonade will turn into a sparkling elderflower wine (which, by the way, is equally delicious just not suitable for kids).
Ingredients: (makes 1L)
- 4 clusters of elderflower
- 1/3 cup of honey
- ½ of a lemon, washed and sliced
- 1 L of cooled, boiled water
- 1 tbs of apple cider
Here is how I made it:
Step 1. Pick elderflowers
There are two types of elder growing in my neighbourhood one has the very common white flowers with green leaves and the second one has pink flowers with reddish leaves. They taste the same just that the red elderflower will make a pink lemonade and white will make a yellow one.
Step 2. Place the flowers in a shaded place on a paper towel for about an hour.
This will make the little bugs that live on the flowers to run away and they will not spoil the whole drink by floating in a bottle.
Step 3. Steep the flowers in water
Place elderflowers and lemon in a jar. Dissolve honey in water and pour it on the elderflowers. Add apple cider and close the jar. Let the jar stand on a windowsill for 2-3 days, remembering to mix everything 2 times a day.
Step 4. Remove the flowers and close the bottles tightly.
Pour the liquid through a sieve to remove flowers and lemon. Pour filtered liquid into bottles and close them tightly. Closing the bottles well is essential otherwise the liquid will start to change into vinegar. The lemonade is ready to drink but the bubbles will develop over time.
Enjoy!!
Suzanah
