Elderflower Champagne
Tastes and looks like summer in a glass! It's also very easy to make.
Ingredients
- 6 litres of water
- 650g of sugar
- 14 elderflower heads
- Juice and zest of 4 lemons
- 2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar
Equipment
- Large brewing pot (big stock pot will do)
- Large plastic container (that's a bucket if you want to get techincal)
- Bottles with screw or swing tops
- Spoon
- Sterilising solution (optional)
- Colander
Start by cleaning your equipment. You don't want any mould to ruin your champagne. You can use sterilising solution suitable for home brewing. Some people use a cap of bleach and a lot of rinsing. Not that we'd endorse that here but there's loads who would.
Add 4 litres of water to your brewing pot. Bring to boil and add the sugar. Give it a stir and make sure the sugar is disolved. Pour the sugar and water mix into your clean plastic container (bucket).
Add two litres of cold water. Then add the the zest, juice, vinegar and flower heads. Make sure you've given the flowers a quick rinse before hand. Stir.
Now cover with a clean piece of muslin cloth and leave for 2 to 3 days. Make sure you leave it in a cool and dry place. Check to see if you things are fermenting. You shouldn't need to add any yeast in theory due to the natural yeast found of the flower heads. However if things aren't going to plan then add a pinch of yeast. Either way leave for another 3-4 days.
Now use muslin cloth and a colander to strain the liquid. Make sure you give it a good squeeze.
Pour into sterilised bottles. Use screw tops or swing tops. You may need to release some of the pressure that will inevitably build up. Elderflower champagne is famous for exploding hence the screw tops. Some people even will even leave the bottles covered in sheets to prevent Elderflower armageddon.
If you use plastic bottles you can see them straining under the pressure and get chance to do something about it.
Wait for about 10 days then it's ready! Serve chilled.
It should last for a few months if you have sterilised correctly.
