Elderflower Champagne Recipe
A Mildly Alcoholic Fizzy Drink, Ready to Drink in Two Weeks
May 25, 2009
Home brewing or home wine making can seem like a complicated business, but Elderflower Champagne is easy to make and its results are ready to drink in two weeks. It therefore provides a quick result allowing the beginner to experiment and enjoy the process and the product, without fear of a costly, or time-consuming, disaster.
"Champagne"
First of all, it’s important to be clear that there is only one true Champagne, and that is the drink produced from grapes and made in the Champagne region of France. With due respect to the French wine and its legal right to the sole use of its “Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée”, in common parlance, sparkling wines the world over take a loan of the name “champagne” and apply it to their particular brew.
“Elderflower Champagne” is one such lightly alcoholic fizzy drink. It is an easy-to-make home brew that produces a delicately-fragranced and refreshing summer aperitif. The aroma is reminiscent of rose water, or Turkish Delight and on the palate it has a crispness derived from the lemons.
Gathering Elderflowers
Elder trees produce their flowers in late spring, early summer. The Elderflower heads should be gathered when the sun is shining. Shake off any insects, but do not wash the flowers as the natural yeast which is found on the heads is necessary to start the fermentation process.
Ten Minutes to Prepare
It is very easy to prepare. It takes just a few minutes to boil some water and melt the sugar, juice and zest a couple of lemons, add some vinegar and stir in the elderflower heads. Then it’s ready to set aside for 6 days to ferment.
Two Weeks to Ferment
After 6 days, it can be strained and bottled, and incredibly, is ready to drink 8 days later. So, in just two weeks, you will have your first batch of sparkling wine, a superb summer drink, ready to chill and enjoy!
Elderflower Champagne Recipe
Ingredients:
- 20 elderflower heads
- 1 kg sugar
- 2 lemons (juice and zest)
- 10 litres of water
- 2 tablespoons of vinegar
- (IF REQUIRED: some yeast - a tablespoon of bakers yeast is fine, kicked off with 2 tablespoons of warm water)
Equipment:
- Large bucket, or brewing barrel big enough to hold 12 + litres
- sieve
- funnel
- muslin
- plastic bottles (from fizzy water, or soda), sufficient to contain 12 litres
Directions:
- Boil a couple of litres of water, pour into bucket or barrel and dissolve the sugar in it
- Add the remaining 8 litres of water (cold)
- Add Lemon Juice and Zest
- Add Elderflower Heads
- Add Vinegar
- Stir all together gently
- Cover with muslin or tea towel and set aside for 24 hours
- Stir gently every 6 hours or so during that first 24 hours
- After 24 hours, if it's not starting to bubble a little, add some yeast.
- Set aside for a further 5 days, stirring gently occasionally.
- Strain through a sieve and muslin and put into bottles
- Leave for 8 days, checking the bottles occasionally and letting out excess gas if necessary.
- Serve chilled, and enjoy with friends!
Sanitize Carefully
Make sure that all equipment is sanitized and rinsed thoroughly before use.
A Warning About Gas
This wine can produce a lot of gas. The biggest danger is from bottles exploding. If you are using glass bottles, make sure that they are very heavy duty and that they have wire clasps over the corks. An ideal alternative is to use plastic bottles. Well-cleaned soda, fizzy drink or fizzy water bottles, can withstand the pressure, and if you check them regularly, it is possible to release some of the gas gently when you see the bottles expanding.
Make sure that the wine is well-chilled, and be very careful when opening!
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