I have always been a fan of floral flavours, and elderflower is no exception. I have bought a couple of different brands of the pre made cordial, but had never had the opportunity to make it myself. Every Summer I would see those lucky enough to have access to elderflowers make batches of cordial, even use it to infuse alcohol. I even found somewhere online that sold small elderflower plants, though that idea was quickly vetoed due to the vigorous nature of the elderflower plant, and our genuine lack of space for new plants in the garden.
This Summer however, I finally had access to some fresh elderflower - via the edible flower online store Petite Ingredient. About ten days ago, I received an email from them saying elderflowers were not only in season, but on sale too. At $9.95 a punnet, they were still pricey considering I would definitely need more than one punnet. I decided to just do it and buy some regardless. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to actually get my hands on some fresh elderflowers and I was curious to see how the whole ordering fresh flowers online worked in practice.
About a week later the elderflowers arrived. I had been eagerly awaiting their arrival and it was recommended that they go straight in the fridge once delivered. I had even briefed my Dad that they may be coming on a day I was at work, and said if they did to please put the whole thing in the fridge. Funnily enough they didn’t arrive that day, however an order from The Essential Ingredient did, so that ended up in the fridge instead! A few days later another order from The Royal Nut Company arrived (yes I have been shopping online a fair bit lately!), and yes that ended up in the fridge too. I think any delivery that looks like it is food related may end up in the fridge if I’m not home from now on!!
When my Petite Ingredient order did arrive I set about making my first batch of elderflower cordial, which included lemon zest and an infusion time of about 36 hours. If you go with this method (see below recipe one), and live in humid conditions, definitely allow the elderflowers to infuse in the fridge. This method gave a super lemony fragrance and flavour, however I was looking for a more pure elderflower taste.
The second batch (see below recipe two) only called for elderflowers and water to to be infused overnight. Again I did this in the fridge. You can see the difference in colour both recipes produced and I have to say the second batch was my favourite. I have used this recipe to create another elderflower drink in the next blog post.
I have included both recipes here, however I would recommend the second one. Both produce between 600-700ml of cordial which can be stored in a sterilised glass jar in the fridge for about a month.