The other day I made elderflower cordial, and since I just adore this flavour I always make some elderflower liqueur too. This year a good quality vodka will be used, as it gave wonderful results with the elderberry liqueur last autumn.
Elderflower Liqueur
You will need
- 30 flower heads
- 1.5 litres of vodka
- 450g granulated sugar
Harvest and prepare the flowerheads, as for the cordial (see here). Cut off as much of the stalk as possible. Place in a 2-litre, sterilised preserving jar and cover with the alcohol. Seal.
Keep in a cool dark place for a month, shaking occasionally. The flowers will turn brown, but that’s fine as long as they are covered with alcohol… if necessary top up your jar with more vodka to keep them covered.
Don’t these flowers look beautiful in the jar!
After a month, strain, and pour the clear liquid back into a newly sterilised jar. Add sugar, seal and shake. Return to a cool dark place and shake from time to time. Once the sugar has dissolved, it’s ready to drink!
(This is especially good to sip during the winter while sitting in front of the fire… a strange thought in June, I know!)
By the way, the elder tree is said to ward off witches and evil spirits, and it is considered bad luck to cut one down…
Be warned! 😉
This concludes my series of posts on elder for the time being; soon the flowers will lose all their petals, and the fragrance will fade, but I know there will be an abundance of shiny berries in the autumn and I can look forward to wandering into the woods again, bucket and shears at the ready…
Words and Herbs 
Not a strange thought in June at all! In fact, I imagine that if I had a jar full of those vodka flowers soaking in my basement, I’d definitely be looking forward to the first frost. 😉
😀
🙂 I have the opportunity to follow. They are still blooming! I like the liqueur of the berries as well.
Have a nice day!
You too Uta! And happy flower-picking!
Everyone used to prepare for the winter during the summer months, and they weren’t all canning beans and drying jerky! I wonder what other blossoms you could use?
Acacia? Roses? Peach blossom? I suppose any that smell good and are edible! (Let me know if you try some!) 😀
The Elderflower flowers are so lovely, on the tree and in the jar.
Yes, really pretty with a little sunshine on them!
How beautiful!
Wish you could smell them!
Growing up we had an Elderberry bush and made a favored wine by many. Sorry I missed the opportunity to make Elderflower liquor. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for stopping by! 😀
Thank you Cathy for your beautiful pictures, words and recipes. They feast my senses. Congratulations.
Glad you like the post. I still have half a bottle of this liqueur and hope it will last till the next harvest!