Elderflower Syrup
The flavors of elderflowers can be captured in a simple syrup and used in cocktails, as a base for sorbets, poured over cakes or baked into custards.
Ingredients
- 3 cups water
- 3 cups sugar
- 3 ounces dried elderflowers or 4 tablespoons fresh elderflowers, stripped from the stem, green parts removed
- ½ teaspoon citric acid (optional)
- 1 lemon, sliced
Instructions
- Make a 1:1 simple syrup, heating the water and stirring in the sugar until dissolved.
- Place the destemmed elderflowers in a quart-size jar. Add citric acid, (if using) and sliced lemon. Syrup made without citric acid will not keep for more than a week without fermenting; the addition of citric acid makes it keep longer.
- Once the syrup has cooled, pour it over the elderflower mixture. Allow this to infuse in the fridge for 24–48 hours; any longer may induce fermentation due to the presence of wild natural yeasts on the elderflowers.
- Strain the flowers and lemon from the syrup. Store in a clean quart-size jar or clamp-topped jar.