Ingredients

The following ingredients have 4 Servings
  • 1 quart water
  • 4 cups sugar
  • Juice of 2 lemons
  • Zest of 2 lemons
  • 1 teaspoon citric acid
  • 25 elderflower heads, (about 2 cups flowers, stems removed)

Instruction

  • Snip off the flowers from the stalks into a large bowl or bucket that will hold everything. Try to remove as much of the stems as you can; they are toxic. A few stray bits of stems will not hurt you, but you want to minimize it.
  • Zest the lemons and add it to the bowl, then the citric acid and lemon juice.
  • Bring the sugar and water to a boil, stirring occasionally to dissolve. Let the syrup cool enough so that you can stick your finger in it without getting burned; you can leave it to cool to room temperature, too. Pour the syrup over the flowers, lemons et al and stir to combine. Cover the bowl or bucket with a towel and leave it for 2 or 3 days.
  • When you are ready, strain it through a fine-meshed sieve lined with cheesecloth or a paper towel into a clean Mason jar. Seal the jar and store in the fridge.
  • To serve, pour 1 to 3 tablespoons of the syrup into a pint glass and add water or seltzer. Or you can add a tablespoon to a glass of sparkling wine, or to a couple shots of vodka or gin.