Author Topic: Elderflower Champagne (Read 4358 times)

Samson2 · « **on:** June 13, 2006, 13:03:24 »

Hi All,

I am going to make some elderflower champagne. I have found a few recipies on the web, and there seems to be a few options;

How much sugar? Most seem to say 1 to 1.5 pounds per gallon. I guess you should be able to work out the alcohol content from this. How strong would it end up with this much sugar? I would like it resnobly strong.

How many flowers? The recipies seem to vary from 2 per gallon[1] to 10 per gallon[2]. I would be tempted to use more to have pleanty of flavour. Any thoughts?

Something sour. Most seem to use about 2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar per gallon. Some use 1 or 2 lemons per gallon as well or instead. Any thoughts?

I was thinking of doing 2 or 3 batches, so I guess I could try different recipies, but it would be nice to hear from people who have done this before.

Thanks for any help.

[1] http://www.blunham.demon.co.uk/Yorksgen/Recipes/Brews/Wine.html#ElderflowerChampagneRecipe1
[2] http://www.wight.co.uk/food/recipes.99/24.99/

tim · « **Reply #1 on:** June 13, 2006, 13:13:32 »

Haven't checked out your links, but yes - much as you say - but we use 1lb sugar.

Alcohol? It's about 5%??

ksia · « **Reply #2 on:** June 13, 2006, 16:40:08 »

Our recipe is...

15 elderflower heads
0.7 kg sugar
1 lemon (juice and rind)
2 tb spoons wine vinegar
1 gallon of water

Put it all together, stir till sugar dissolved, leave 24 hours, strain and leave 14 days (if possible...at the start of the season we were to keen to have some!) Drink within 3 weeks.

which produces a yummy, light very drinkable drink. No idea on the alcohol content but not very strong.

It makes a good cordial (which can be frozen) and wine also.
Karen

Samson2 · « **Reply #3 on:** June 13, 2006, 16:55:57 »

Thanks for the responces. I think I shall go for around 10 - 15 heads per gallon, and 1.25 lb sugar per gallon. I like the idea of lots of elderflower flavor and lots of alcohol.

BTW, what do people use to strain it after the first 24 hour fermentation? I have heard of muslin, I am not even sure wha\t that is but I am sure I do not have any.

blueberry · « **Reply #4 on:** June 13, 2006, 17:26:00 »

Hi there,
My Grandfather's tried and tested elderflower champagne uses 2 heads of flowers, 1.5 pounds of sugar, juice of 1 lemon and the rind, 2 tablespoons of white vinegar and 1 gallon of water. We leave it for a day, then strain it through muslin and bottle it and leave for 4 weeks. I've just bottled 3 gallons worth and can't wait to taste it!

tim · « **Reply #5 on:** June 13, 2006, 17:36:27 »

Interesting, this - there is such a huge difference in the recipes, why not do 2 lots, Samson, compare & report back.

We stick to the WI recipe.

saddad · « **Reply #6 on:** June 13, 2006, 17:55:49 »

We have a non-alcoholic cordial recipe, which is great on a hot day. Anyone interested just shout and I will post it here or in a new thread!

ELDERFLOWER CORDIAL

10 Large elderflower heads
1kg (2lb) granulated sugar
2 lemons washed and sliced
25g (1oz) tartaric acid
2.4l Litres (4pints) boiling water

Place all the ingredients in a bowl. Cover and leave for 24 hours, stirring occasionally. Strain through muslin. Pour into bottles, seal and sterilise.
Place bottles of fruit drink in a deep pan with a padded base (I use preserving pan with a tea towel in the base) Fill pan with warm water preferably to the base of the stoppers. Simmer for 20 minutes 77degrees C (or 170 degrees F)
Makes about 2.1litres or 3.5 pints

jellywelly · « **Reply #7 on:** June 14, 2006, 09:11:33 »

I'll shout for the cordial recipe please :).

Thought I'd try my hand at making some this year, is it me or were the flowers later this eyar?

daisymay · « **Reply #8 on:** June 14, 2006, 22:02:01 »

trying some elderflower champagne. Is it meant to ferment in the same way that wine does? i.e. create a bubble in the airlock of the bucket?

made it Sunday night so am planning on bottling it tomorrow. The original recipe I had from on here - from last year I think- said leave it for 3-4 days...

ksia · « **Reply #9 on:** June 15, 2006, 16:30:42 »

I don't know about bubbles in the airlock as ours are in plastic bottles, however we do have to keep releasing the 'bubbly build-up' (not sure what you'd call it!). We didn't on one last year and it exploded over the fridge...ah well it was about time to clean it!
As you see from my receipe earlier ours gets put into bottles after 24 hours.
Karen

shirlthegirl43 · « **Reply #10 on:** June 19, 2006, 15:30:54 »

Hi All, New on here but very keen to make Elderflower Champagne. I picked some flowers today (first time I found a tree with flowers low enough for me to get them). I put them in a plastic bag to take home.

Just went to prepare everything and found the bag is full of tiny black flies!!! :o

Do these have to be chucked and I need to start again or do the flies not matter?

A quick bit of help would be appreciated please.

Thanks in advance

Samson2 · « **Reply #11 on:** June 19, 2006, 15:43:41 »

How long have they been in the bag? They are probably just drosophila, fluit flys, no real problem. If you have left the flowers in plastic for any length of time there may be some rotting going on and it would be worth throwing them away. It is much more work making the champaine that collecting the flowers.

Good luck.

shirlthegirl43 · « **Reply #12 on:** June 19, 2006, 15:50:43 »

I picked the flowers, put them in the bag and drove a half mile home. Waited about an hour checking instructions and recipes - went and boiled kettle and went to remove the flowers from the stalks - flies - weeny ones.

Flowers smell absolutely gorgeous. Do I still make the stuff or not?

Thanks for the quick reply

shirlthegirl43 · « **Reply #13 on:** June 19, 2006, 15:52:23 »

How is your champagne coming along by the way?

shirlthegirl43 · « **Reply #14 on:** June 19, 2006, 15:59:05 »

Forgot to say they are not flies with wings - they are about 1mm long and crawl - not caterpillars though. do I ignore them and just make the champagne or not.

This will be my first attempt at making anything like this and I don't want it to be a total disaster or my hubby won't let me try again. I am starting with this as it seemed an easy introduction to 'home brewing'. Want to have a go at winemaking some time too.

Thanks again for your help and advice. Can't find anything relating to this on the interweb!

Samson2 · « **Reply #15 on:** June 19, 2006, 16:25:28 »

It is a difficult call. If they do not obviouly have wings then they are not drosophila. There are not many things around that will hurt you if you eat them after they have been boiled, so I would be very supprised if they were a problem. If you can just pop out and get some more in 5 mins I would get some more, if it is going to be a problem then I would probably use the ones you have, but boil them before you do the fermentation. You will have to add yeast if you do this (I assume the recipies here assume there is enough yeast on the flowers to get the fermentation going).

I have not have had a chance to do it yet, I will try and sort it out tonight.

shirlthegirl43 · « **Reply #16 on:** June 19, 2006, 16:32:01 »

Thanks again. will try picking more flowers tomorrow or whenever the next sunny day is. Don't want to use yeast as the whole point was to have a go at a cheapie to start with. Plenty flowers left on the tree anyway!!

Good luck with yours!!

Samson2 · « **Reply #17 on:** August 03, 2006, 16:30:12 »

I thought I would post an update of how I did it, and how it turned out.

To make total of 25 litres.
around 50 heads of elderflower.
5.5 Kg sugar
5 lemons
1 wine glass of old white wine
1 glass of my mates quite active elderflower champaine (mostly for the yeast).
Water

I disolved about half the sugar in warm water before adding it, the rest I added straight. It did not fully dissolve, perhaps 1/2 a pound left when I bottled it.

I left it in the fermentation bin for 4 days, in a bit of a lull in the hot weather. Not sure what tempurature but it never developed a head, but did produce quite a bit of gas.

I bottled it in 2 litre pop bottles and a preasure barrel. I left it there for around 5-6 weeks.

It was pretty good, still a little sweet but a lot let than when I bottled it. I guess the alcohol content is around 3-4%. It has a good elderflower smell and taste.

The main problem is getting it cold and fizzy. It comes out of the preasure barrel tap at high preasure, but the agitation caused by this means that all the gas has left the drink before you get to drink it. What works quite well is pouring it into a 2 litre pop bottle 1 day, leaving it somewhere warm ontil the next evening, then putting it in the freezer for an hour, then serving it.

The stuff that has been in the pop bottles all along have a significant amount of sediment, and because of the fizz the sediment is spread throughout the drink.

All in all pretty sucsessful for a first try. Next is the sloe season :)

greyhound · « **Reply #18 on:** August 04, 2006, 21:26:39 »

And they are looking a sight more plentiful this year. :)

We may not have to walk so far this time. ;)

News:

Author Topic: Elderflower Champagne (Read 4358 times)