Allotments 4 All

Elderflower champagne -just started some off, here's the recipe :

4 heads of flowers
1.5 lbs suger
1 lemon
1 lime (juice and thinly pared rind both)
2 tbs W Wine Vinegar.
1 gal water.

Start off in container for 2-3days, should be fermenting, then bottle for a couple of weeks.

No special equipment -the container can be a bowl or a bucket (that you'd be prepared to eat out of), the bottles old pop bottles.

Sounds almost too easy!
Presumably the bottles need to be glass? Or is plastic OK?

Plastic is better! They stand the pressure better and you don't get covered in shrapnel if they explode. Not only that you can tell how much pressure is in one by squeezing it and letting a little out if you need to.

Jeremy

Ah ah! That makes perfect sense. Now all I have to do is wait for the elderflowers to come out (very late in our unseasonably cold weather here in the West of Ireland).
Jane

Do NOT be tempted to add yeast - like our children did.

The jet went over a 30' apple tree!!

Hee Hee Hee!!! ;D

...What a waste of 'champers'

Debs

At least they did it outside -I opened a bottle of overfed cider in my parents garage. The only saving grace was that car was out -the cider would probably have stripped the paint off.

Yippee!

Cordial and champers now both underway ;D

Debs

Thanks for the timely reminder, 1 gallon now on the go, along with the Rhubarb wine, hic

This may sound crazy but how does it become sparkly.
Also does it have to be cold water or can you use boiling water, was wondering how the sugar will dissolve in cold water.
And what is the difference between Elderflower champers and cordial??

The natural yeast on the Elderflowers ferments and produces CO2 & alcohol, the CO2 makes it fizzy. Don't use boiling water on the elderflowers as it will kill the yeast, you can dissolve the suger in some boiling water if you want -then add cold to make up to the gallon, it should be around room temp.

The champagne is a drink of itself -like champagne but not as alcoholic.

The cordial is like orange squash -you add water to taste.

Jeremy

Do you have to stir the liquid in the bucket everyday or just leave it 2-3 days then strain and bottle

It's probably better if you stir it, just to get the flavour out, but I didn't stir mine and it tastes fine.

Jeremy

It's ready -and yummy  ;D

Opened a bottle today ....I know it was 3 days early but hey I couldn't wait to taste it.
There was a little sediment in the bottom which rose quickly up the bottle when it was opened. Sediment looked like pollen.
Husband decided we should strain the champers before drinking which we did but it seems as though all the fizz went with the sediment.
However as my dad always said "don't waste anything"  I have now nearly drunk the whole bottle and it's gorgeous.
Is it ok to drink the sediment in the other bottles?

I have put a bottle of mine in fridge to drink this evening.

Can't wait!

Debs

...and it was DELICIOUS :P

Very pleasantly fizzy, kids both loved it, so will have to make more ;D

Debs

I am rather behind everyone else here!
Do you strain out the flowers before bottling or leave them in?

moonbells

Strain 'em out Moonbells.

Have invented new drink tonight... Gin and elderflower champers.

Its gorgeous! :P

Debs  ;)

ok, i need to get my hands on some flowers then. our local bush is well behind, having been cut back DRASTICALLY last autumn!

btw, the idea with the pop bottles is good - are there any other alcoholic drinks that can be made without any specialist equipment? wouldnt mind trying rhubarb wine but they require demijohns   :(

svea