Elderflower champagne
- Richard Davie – Drinks writer
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Makes 10 litre batch
More effort
Prep: 20 mins
+ 11 days
A star rating of 4.8 out of 5.16 ratingsRate
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Make a stunning bottle of seasonal elderflower champagne with our step-by-step recipe. This delicate, floral, alcoholic drink is perfect for sipping on summer nights
Dairy-free
Egg-free
Gluten-free
Vegan
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Elderflower wine
A star rating of 4.3 out of 5.7 ratings
Elderflower & lemon cordial
A star rating of 4 out of 5.6 ratings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Units:
MetricUS
-
1.8kg sugar
-
18 heads of elderflower
-
8 lemons
zested and juiced
-
5g sachet dry champagne yeast
You will also need
-
2 x 12-litre fermenting bucket
(ideally with airlock lid)
-
muslin
sterilised
Keep the screen awake with cook mode on the Good Food app.
Nutrition: Per 125ml glass
- kcal76
- fat0g
- saturates0g
- carbs19g
- sugars19g
- fibre0g
- protein0g
- salt0g
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Method
-
step 1
Read our guides on how to clean brewing equipment and home brewing safety tips before you get started. Fully dissolve the sugar in 4l just-boiled water in a fermenting bucket. Add 6l cold water.
-
step 2
Shake any bugs loose from the elderflower, then strip the florets from the heads with a fork. Let the sugar water cool to 20C and stir in the lemon zest, juice, flowers and yeast. Cover, and leave to ferment out of direct sunlight for six days. If your bucket doesn't have an airlock lid, gently rest the lid on top of the bucket.
-
step 3
Strain through boiled or sanitised muslin into the second sanitised bucket, leaving the sediment behind. Leave it to sit for a couple of hours for any last pollen or sediment to settle.
-
step 4
Siphon into sanitised wine or fizzy drink bottles and seal. Leave for five days in a cool dark place. Check the carbonation by lightly opening the lids to vent excess CO2. Keep in fridge if notably vigorous.
If you drop the sugar to 1.6kg, it shouldn’t finish above 8% abv, at 2kg, 10%. Champagne yeast is tolerant up to at least 15%.
RECIPE TIPS
USE THE ELDERFLOWER STRAIGHT AWAY
Elderflower wilts very fast, so aim to make this champagne as soon as you return from picking them.
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A star rating of 4.8 out of 5.16 ratings
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