Elderflower Champagne {recipe}

Helloooooooooooo again - three times in one week (postings that is) I wonder what must be wrong with me?

High temperature - no.

A touch of the sniffles - well yes, but that's just my hay fever 'achoo!'

Aches and pains - a little , but I have been rushing around a lot this morning.

Fuzzy in the head - that's just normal for me.

I don't know, I must be on a roll - lucky you!


Okay, so the truth of the matter is this. So many of you have asked for a recipe for 'Elderflower Champagne' that I thought I would post the recipe we use.

Though there are lots of different varying recipes out there, if the one we use doesn't sound to your liking then I'm sure a google search will be able to find the right one.

Anyhow, I guess posting all those pictures of fluffy elder flowers yesterday and then telling you that they were destined for champagne without leaving the 'how to' was a little rude of me - well a lot, sorry. I really do not know where my head is at these days!

So here goes.

I'm not too sure where Mr T got his recipe from, but it is written down on a scrappy piece of paper - no really it is.......look.

So I will try and decipher as best as I can for you.

You will need ::

A lidded pot to hold all the ingredients

4 litres hot water
2 litres cold water
700g granulated sugar
Juice and zest of 4 lemons
2 tblsp white wine vinegar
15 elderflower heads

** pinch of brewers yeast

- Pour the hot water into your container, add the sugar and wait for it to dissolve then top up with the cold water.

- Add the lemon juice and zest of all 4 lemons, vinegar, elderflower heads and stir gently.

- Leave to ferment for a few days. This is a judgement thing. If it is not fizzing by day three then you know it's time to add the brewers yeast.


- Ferment for another three/four days, strain and **bottle.

- Leave for one week.

Then your elderflower champagne will be ready for chilling, pouring and for whatever you'd like to do to it!! We added sliced strawberries to ours last year.

Then sit back and......enjoy.

** brewers yeast - only to be added if your fermenting concoction is not bubbling after three days.

**bottling. The best bottles are the flip top beer bottles like Grolsch, though plastic bottles that originally contained fizzy pop are just as good though remember not to fill them right up to the top. Always leave a good inch or so space for expanding contents.

Final note :: with all home brew there will be some failures and when making something fizzy beware of exploding bottles especially if they are of the plastic variety.

I hope that all helps?? If you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask though we have kind of learnt through trial and error.

And to all my readers across the pond I wish I could send you all a bottle as it is a most delightful Summery drink.

Chin, chin.



xXx

ps. sorry if I haven't got round to replying or returning any of your messages yet (including my new followers - a special hellooooooooo to you) I will try to do so or pop by your blog for a little nosey and read soon. Nina xxxx