What I love about elderflower champagne is the fresh floral taste, and feeling of a midsummer treat!
The elder tree, Sambucus nigra, is very common in the UK and flowers late May into early June here in the South East.
This is a recipe from an elderly neighbour – the top part is for elderflower cordial, and we use the second recipe for the champagne.
I should probably add that you should sterilise all the equipment and bottles before use, and if you’re making the cordial, store in fridge and use within six weeks. The champagne should be stored in bottles that can stand a bit of pressure – we use old lemonade bottles.
Mike experiments with this recipe by adding yeast and varying the times and number of flower heads, so it’s all a bit of an art!