Elderflower Champagne

I have made elderflower cordial for years now, this is the recipe I use and I urge people to try it, because it is wonderful stuff and lasts right through to next elderflower season if you make enough of it.

For a change, this year, I have made elderflower champagne.

There is a bewildering amount of differing recipes out there so I made a sort of version based on two different ones I found and will know the results in a fortnight.

Here is basically what I did.

Take 7 litres of water and stir in 1.25 k of sugar. Heat the water slightly to help dissolve the sugar completely into there. Now you add your elderflower heads. The amount seems to depend on how much elderflower flavour you want, so I added about 10 good large heads of it, but more and less seems acceptable.

Add the zest and juice of 2 lemons (I zested then squeezed the lot in, and threw the squeezed lemons in whole as well and 2 - 4 tbsp of cider vinegar (although white wine vinegar is used alternatively if you want). Then cover with a cloth and leave for 2 to 3 days. If you don't think that it is fermenting after a couple of days then you can add a small pinch of ordinary bread yeast.

I am now at this stage, having done it 3 days ago. Today I will strain the liquid through muslin and then bottle it up. Left for a couple of weeks now it should make fizz and then I is ready to drink, will tell you what the results are.

I have never brewed anything before (unless you count the 40 litres of bitter I secretly brewed in my wardrobe when I was 15 - wonder if my mum ever knew?) so am looking forward to the results of this very simple process. Sounds just the thing for a hot summers day (if we ever have one).