Step 1

Pick the elderflower heads and set them outside on a clean tea towel or paper towels for a couple of hours. This is to allow any insects hiding in the blossoms to have a chance to escape.

Step 2

Zest and juice the lemons. A lemon zester makes short work of it but you can use a small cheese grater too. Just ensure that you don't remove the white pith, or it can give a bitter flavor. Refrigerate the juice for the next day.

Step 3

Next, pull the white flowers off the green flower stalks/umbels and put them in a large bowl or tub with the lemon zest. You can use a fork to pull the flowers off but I just use my fingers. The thicker green stalks can make your cordial bitter so try to remove as many of them as possible.

Step 4

Boil the water, then pour over the flowers and zest and let it infuse overnight. You can leave the bowl at room temperature, but make sure to cover it with a kitchen towel. The scent of the elderflowers steeping in the water will be intoxicating!

Step 5

The next day, run the glass bottles you're using through the dishwasher to sterilize them. Alternatively, you can use a bottle sterilizing solution, as you would in cleaning winemaking equipment. If your bottles do not have plastic tops, you can also sterilize the glass bottles in the oven by washing them, and then placing them inside at 130°C /270°F for thirty minutes.

Step 6

Just before you begin making the cordial, warm the sterilized bottles if they're not warmed already. You can do this in the oven at the lowest setting.

Step 7

Juice the lemons into a bowl. Strain any seeds out.

Step 8

Strain the elderflower infusion through a fine sieve or cheesecloth and place the liquid in a large pan along with the juice from the lemons and the citric acid. Warm to a simmer.

Step 9

Next, add the sugar and stir until it's completely dissolved. Bring the mixture to a boil before lowering the heat and allow to simmer for ten minutes.

Step 10

Using a funnel, pour the cordial into the bottles*, seal, and allow to cool. If you opt-out on the next step, the cordial has a shelf-life of six months.

Step 11

Water-bathing cordial will ensure that it won't spoil and extends the shelf-life to twelve months. To water bath, place the bottles that you've just filled and sealed in a tall pot of boiling water, submerging them completely. Leave to boil for thirty minutes before lifting the bottles out and allowing them to cool.

Step 12

Once cooled, elderflower cordial can be stored in a cupboard or used right away. Once a bottle is opened, keep it in the fridge and use it within a month.

Step 13

You can use elderflower cordial at a ratio of 1:4 (or your own preference) with champagne, prosecco, sparkling water, lemonade, or another drink or cocktail of your choice. A good splash in a glass will do then fill it up with another beverage of your choice. You can also use it to replace some of the water and/or sugar in cake and dessert recipes or drizzle it over lemon sorbet. Perfect for a hot summer day!