Elderflower cordial
I got this from Rose Elliot who in turn got it from Rosamond Richardson. I can't remember where the original featured, but I have internalised the recipe by thinking of it in 2s in a mix of metric and imperial. You'll see what I mean from the ingredients.
So tartaric acid? It is a byproduct of wine fermentation. When I first made this years ago, I had no idea where to get it from. So I used cream of tartar instead. The substance in the baking sections of supermarkets. Not the same! Whilst related, tartaric acid is a naturally occurring acid, cream of tartar is potassium bitartrate. I'm not going to pretend to understand the chemistry of it, but they both worked. They act as the preservative. Cream of tartar is a weak version so a less effective preservative. You can find anything on the internet these days and that where I finally found tartaric acid. So that's what I use now.
I have tried recipes which use citric acid as the preservative - an organic acid which comes, unsurprisingly, from citrus fruit.
I have also tried recipes which heat and cool the mixture, but they don't give me the flavour I'm after. The flavour of this recipe!
Gathering elderflower: don't get it from traffic heavy roadsides.
Ingredients
Makes around 2 litres
20 heads of elderflower.
2 litres of cooled boiled water
2 lemons, sliced
2kg sugar
2oz tartaric acid
You will need a big pot with a lid to hold all the ingredients, and a further 2 large pots/bowls into which to sieve the mixture after 24 hours
You will also need a muslin cloth, so if you're not a preserver who has that in the jelly making cupboard, think about buying some.
Method
Pick over the elderflower and make sure there are no bugs.
Mix all the ingredients in a big pot, cover and leave to steep for 24 hours.
24 hours later . . .
Sterilise your bottles by pouring boiling water in and around them and their lids.
Give your mixture a good stir and sieve it into another big pot or bowl to get out the elderflower and lemon slices.
Rinse your sieve and line it with a muslin cloth and pass the mixture carefully through that to catch any tiny bits in your cordial.
Using a funnel, bottle up your cordial.
It will keep in a cool cupboard if unopened. Once opened keep in the fridge.
