I heard this mentioned somewhere, it may have even been on here, and i've reserched it today and it seems so easy !
Does anyone make it ? is it yummy ?
28/05/2009
Make your own bubbly with this elderflower champagne recipe from River Cottage Spring
Makes about 6 litres
Ingredients
About 24-30 elderflower heads, in full bloom
2kg sugar
4 litres hot water
Juice and zest of four lemons
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
A pinch of dried yeast (you may not need this)
Method: How to make elderflower champagne
- Put the hot water and sugar into a large container (a spotlessly clean bucket is good) and stir until the sugar dissolves, then top up with cold water so you have 6 litres of liquid in total.
- Add the lemon juice and zest, the vinegar and the flower heads and stir gently.
- Cover with clean muslin and leave to ferment in a cool, airy place for a couple of days. Take a look at the brew at this point, and if it?s not becoming a little foamy and obviously beginning to ferment, add a pinch of yeast.
- Leave the mixture to ferment, again covered with muslin, for a further four days. Strain the liquid through a sieve lined with muslin and decant into sterilised strong glass bottles with champagne stoppers (available from home-brewing suppliers) or Grolsch-style stoppers, or sterilised screw-top plastic bottles (a good deal of pressure can build up inside as the fermenting brew produces carbon dioxide, so strong bottles and seals are essential).
- Seal and leave to ferment in the bottles for a further eight days before serving, chilled. The champagne should keep in the bottles for several months. Store in a cool, dry place.
It almost seems to good to be true !