Elderflower Cordial Made with Fresh or Dried Elderflowers

It’s almost elderflower season! When I excitedly announced this among friends recently, they all gave me a grin-and-eye-roll combination that, if I’m being honest, I receive on a regular basis from this bunch. It’s all done in good fun—it’s no secret that I choose to live my life much slower than the modern-world pace, as closely aligned with the turning of the seasons as possible. My favorite people may tease me about my Luddite ways and seasonal delight over things like elderflowers, but they aren’t fooling anybody. They’re always the first ones to belly up for our refreshing cordials and festive cocktails and, because I let most of my homegrown elderflowers turn into berries, they are also the ones who slyly check in throughout the year to see if I’ve got any cordial made with the dried elderflowers that sustain us when the fresh flowers are long gone. Here’s to elderflower cordial and sharing with friends!

Fresh elderflower cordial is lighter in flavor than its dried elderflower sibling, with a sort of sun-kissed undertone that is remarkably refreshing when mixed with carbonated water on a hot afternoon. It’s also wonderful to keep in the refrigerator as a mixer for cocktails and mocktails. But if you don’t have access to fresh elderflowers and you discover the joys of having cordial on hand throughout the year, dried elderflowers make a fantastic cordial of deeper flavor.

One quick note here on sugar vs. honey as a sweetener for elderflower cordial. I find that honey overwhelms the delicate flavor of fresh elderflowers, but a light, mild honey can be an excellent choice when using dried flowers. In that case, a clover, alfalfa, or linden type honey would be a better choice than a richly flavored wildflower or buckwheat type.

Simple Syrup for Elderflower Cordial

Makes 2 and 2/3 cups.

Ingredients

• 1 and 1/3 cups organic sugar or mild, local, organic honey
• 1 and 1/3 cups water

Directions

1. Combine the sugar or honey and water in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.
2. Stir until the sweetener is dissolved. *Don’t let honey get too hot—it should just be warm enough to dissolve.
3. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Combine with cordial ingredients when just warm, or store in refrigerator for later use.
4. Syrup will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one month. Reheat until just warm if using refrigerated syrup in the cordial recipe.

How to Make an Elderflower Cordial

Makes about 2 cups cordial base.

Ingredients

• 1/2-1 large organic lemon, washed and thinly sliced
• 1 tsp. Non-GMO Verified citric acid
• 1 cup dried organic elderflowers or 3-4 cups fresh elderflowers (flowers only, no stems!)
• 2 and 2/3 cups warm simple syrup 

Directions

1. Add lemon slices, citric acid, and elderflowers to a sterilized quart jar. If using fresh elderflowers, you may need a larger jar or two quart jars to split the flowers between them.
2. Pour warm simple syrup into jar(s) to thoroughly cover the flowers.
3. Seal with an airtight lid and shake to combine.
4. Put in refrigerator for 3-5 days and shake twice a day. 
5. When cordial reaches a flavor you like, strain through cheesecloth into clean storage container. Squeeze cheesecloth to capture all the liquid. Cap with an airtight lid.
6. Properly stored cordial made with dried flowers will keep in the refrigerator for up to three months. Cordial made with fresh flowers may not keep quite as long. Discard if cordial turns cloudy or shows signs of mildew.

Pro Tips

• You can opt not to add the citric acid. In this case, plan to store strained cordial in the refrigerator for no more than three weeks or until it appears cloudy.
• If using honey simple syrup, the taste of honey may dominate for the first few days but will mellow as the flowers infuse. I find it reaches a nice balance at day 4 or 5.

Ways to Use Elderflower Cordial

For a simple, refreshing drink stir about 2 Tbsp. of cordial into 1 cup carbonated water and add ice. Adjust proportions to taste. Add a splash of fresh lemon juice if you’d like.

For an easy, light brunch cocktail, fill a wine or champagne glass with ice. Squeeze a lemon or lime over the ice. Pour in about 2 oz. (1/4 cup) cordial. Add Prosecco or champagne, leaving enough room at the top to stir in 2-3 Tbsp. club soda or carbonated water. Adjust flavors to taste. If you want to up the alcohol in this cocktail, you can also add a little gin or vodka. Alternatively, you can lower the alcohol content by decreasing the amount of Prosecco or champagne and increasing the amount of cordial and bubbly water.

Using dried elderflowers, you can make cordial all year round. For a warming cold-weather drink, combine about 2 Tbsp. cordial and 2 cups apple juice or cider with 1/2 cinnamon stick, and 3 whole cloves in a saucepan over low heat. Heat until you can smell the fragrant spices in the juice and it is hot throughout, about 10 minutes. Remove spices, pour into two mugs, and serve hot. Add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice if you’d like. If you like a sweeter drink, heat 1-2 tsp. organic sugar, brown sugar, or honey with the other ingredients in the pan.

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