Elderflower Cordial

Recipe
20 elderflower heads
1 sliced lemon
2 tsp of citric acid (ask at your chemist)
1.5 kg (3.5 lbs) of sugar
1.2 ltr (2.5 pints) boiling water

Method
Pour the water over the ingredients and stir until the sugar has dissolved.
Skin the surface of the water to get rid of the scum that can arise.
Cover with a cloth (mine has a pillow case over it).
Stir twice a day for five days.

Strain though a fine sieve though a fine sieve or through muslin cloth and decant into sterile screw topped bottles. Refrigerate.

As with other cordials dilute with 5 parts water to serve .  Experiment with it and add it to some of your favourite spirits. It is really nice as a gin mixer

Notes
This is a direct lift from http://www.selfsufficientish.com/elderflowercordial.htm

Elderflower Champagne

Ingredients
8 litres water
1.25 kg sugar
8 large elderflower heads
4 Lemons
4 tablespoons white wine vinegar

Method
Boil the water and pour over the sugar to dissolve it.
Cool and add the elderflowers, the juice of two of the lemons, slices of the other two and the vinegar.
Cover with a cloth and leave for a day.
 
Strain with a muslin cloth, squeezing the flowers as you do to release more flavour.
Store in screw top bottles.
It will be ready in about 10 days to a fortnight and should be drunk within a month

Notes
This one really appealed to me because of its speed of maturity. Its now a week after when its drinkable and tastes delicious.

I used plastic bottles. The 2 litre spring water variety. They seem to hold the pressure though they must be done up tightly and they will bulge at both ends :p

Elderflower wine

Ingredients
Juice of one lemon
Grated rind of one lemon
1 Pint of elderflowers
8 pints boiling water
1.3kg sugar
25g (Half an ounce) live yeast

Method
(1)Put lemon rind with the elderflowers and pour boiling water over them.
Allow to stand for 4 days, stirring occasionally.

(2)Strain through a fine sieve or muslin cloth
Transfer to Demijohn together with sugar, lemon juice and yeast then stir and add airlock.
Keep at room temperature to ferment, try not to let it go down to 18c (65f)

(3)When you are sure all the bubbling has ceased, stir the wine and allow to settle for 3 days

(4)Strain again carefully through Muslin
Clean out/Sterilise Demijohn and put liquid back

(5)After 3 months maturing, transfer to bottles

Notes
I wanted to try my hand at making wine this year and since i wasn't adventurous enough to try nettle wine i turned to Elderflowers.

For the live yeast i got mine from J Sainsbury's. Apparently Tesco's also sell it. But this is uk only.

Update
This is maturing now, ready for bottling in October.