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Elderflower syrup in a drink
Angela Braun

Elderflower syrup

Elderflower syrup is not only a classic but also wonderfully versatile. Whether you add it to sparkling wine, use it as a lemonade, drizzle it over ice cream or scent your cake dough with it, this delicious syrup immediately lifts the mood of everyone tasting it.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Resting time 2 days
Total Time 2 days 35 minutes
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: German
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 8 - 10 fresh elderflower heads in full bloom
  • 500 g sugar
  • 2 untreated lemons
  • 600 ml of water
  • Citric acid purely optional; I don’t like its tangy taste and don’t use it

Equipment

  • 1 pot
  • 1 large bowl (optional, you can also add teh flowers to the liquid in the pot)
  • 1 fine-mesh strainer or cheesecloth to filter the syrup
  • bottles with matching lids sterilised
  • 1 funnel

Method
 

  1. When you’ve brought the umbels home, just shake them carefully to remove insects. If you want to be absolutely sure that no insects are left, leave the flowers outside in a dry and shady place for about 20 minutes. That way, the insects can wander off.
    Do not wash the elderflowers! Their flavour lies in the pollen, and if you wash them, the pollen – and with it the flavour – would be rinsed off.
  2. Once the elderflowers are clean, cut off the thick stems.
  3. Wash the lemons with hot water, dry them and cut them into slices.
    cut the stems of the elderflowers
  4. Mix the water and sugar in a pot and slowly bring the mixture to the boil while constantly stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Fill the sugar syrup into a bowl.
  5. Add the elderflowers and the lemon slices to the syrup and cover it with a cloth or lid. Let the mixture rest for 2 – 3 days and stir occasionally.
    Elderflowers and lemons in sugar syrup to become elderflower syrup
  6. Sterilise the bottles by rinsing them with hot water. Remove the elderflowers and lemon slices from the syrup and filter it through a fine mesh strainer. Alternatively, you can filter the syrup through a cloth and wring it out to get the last drops of elderflower syrup. If you press the flowers, the syrup may become a bit more opaque, but that’s ok.
  7. Fill the elderflower syrup in a pot and bring it to the boil. Fill the hot liquid into the sterilised bottles and tightly close the lids.

Notes

Elderflower syrup can be stored in a cool and dry place (e.g. the basement) for up to one year.