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Recipe for "Black Lace" Pink Elderflower Champagne

pamd

By pamd

22 comments


4 Elderflower heads in full bloom gathered on a sunny day
1 gall cold water
1 lemon
1.5 lbs sugar
2 tbsp white wine vinegar

Dissolve sugar in warm water, allow to cool

Place grated & squeezed lemon with the heads of elderflower & wine vinegar in a container, then add rest of cooled water

Leave to steep for 4 days or so, strain off & bottle

Should be ready in 6 to 10 days, but check after 6 days that it’s not too fizzy

Serve chilled with ice — Enjoy
Why not make some pretty ice cubes with blue borage flower heads or heartsese.

More blog posts by pamd

Previous post: A trip to Somerset

Next post: Pink Elderflower Cordial



Comments

 

This sounds far too easy, but just up my street! Thanks pamd will give it a go
have just the blooms in mind.

25 Jun, 2010

 

Oooh now that does sound easy, going to put on favourites and have a go,loads of elderflowers on my 'Black Lace' at the moment, thanks for recipe:-)))

25 Jun, 2010

 

I have been trying to blog the cordial recipe but not having much luck. I've writen it out three times then it hasn't gone through. Simbad if you have a lot of blooms you could do the cordial as well as it needs 20 heads. Strange the champagne only takes 4. We've just had a glass of cordial. Lovely :o)) I'll still keep trying to put it on.

25 Jun, 2010

 

Bet thats lovely too, will keep my eye open for recipe going on :-)

25 Jun, 2010

 

When I read this, I thought same as everyone else - this sounds far too easy to be true!!!! LOL!! How much does this make, though/ One wee glass, or a gallon? LOL! like the tip for the borage, btw!

Good luck with the posting of the cordial recipe! :-))

25 Jun, 2010

 

~ it sounds great.
I used to have a ginger beer culture? when I was at school.
You used to add ginger and sugar and live yeast and strain and bottle after so many days.
It used to blow the corks off the bottles in my mums wash room~ you could hear them bang against the ceiling!
Used to have the recipe but it is a fair while ago~ it was all the rage when I was in my teens~

25 Jun, 2010

 

Simbad the recipe for cordial is on.

David It makes 5 bottles, so several wee glasses. As you see below it's been blowing the corks out so it should be pretty powerful.

Arlene, we bought plastic corks for the champagne & it's been blowing them out, so we've had to buy proper corks, so hopefully it will be good stuff ! we haven't actually tried it yet. It looks cloudy to start with but you have to let it clear. I remember the ginger beer. Ended up with bottles of the stuff.

26 Jun, 2010

 

5 bottles - marvellous! Hic! :-))

27 Jun, 2010

 

have just read that screw-cap bottles are safer, as you can let some of the gas escape if it builds up too much. Also, plastic screw cap bottles are safer than glass. Have just bought the wine vinegar and lemons, so making a start today. ;-)

27 Jun, 2010

 

Thanks Pamd will have a look, this one sounds good, 5 bottles great,got everything in so I'll be having a go this week. even have loads of empty wine bottles as hubby was going to have a go at making wine, let you know how it goes :-)
Just about to look for something to do with redcurrants, took over an allotment last year loads of redcurrants ripening, but don't know what to do with them apart from redcurrant jelly.

27 Jun, 2010

 

My lot has been in a large soup/stockpot in the shed for 5 days now, and the smell is heavenly. Will be bottling this on Saturday. Meantime, my "Black Lace" and "Black Beauty" have produced, between them, another 10 blooms, so will start off another batch. This would be great for my niece's 18th birthday party on 31st of this month. :-))

1 Jul, 2010

 

I hope you let them out sometimes, they will be well & truly pickled.:o) Where's the 18th party !! :o))

2 Jul, 2010

 


lol i am comeing toooolol. wooo hoooooooooo
ps wot if we dont get a sunny day !!!!!!!!!!

23 Aug, 2010

 

I keep meaning to ask David how it went Cristina.

23 Aug, 2010

 

i will have to wait till nxt year 4 my flowers as its still establishing ,but def gona try it.

23 Aug, 2010

 

Just noticed this. Many Thanks, Pam for the recipe! The first batch, which I left too long in my metal pan (about 5 days) before bottling didn't fizz, and had to add some brewers' yeast to help (despite natural yeast in the elderflowers). The second batch, soaked for less than 48 hrs,then bottled, had lots more fizz, and managed to avoid "cannon blasts" (Hehe!).

This has been so well received by my parents and other family members, too.
I like to mix it with white wine - hic! Cheers! Again, Pam! :-))))

PS if you notice, the party was on 31/7!!! Lol!!!

24 Aug, 2010

 

Hi pamd! i know this is an old blog but simbad recommended your recipe-it sounds do-able for me lol. shame i havent got the black lace but have added to my faves for future ref. :o)

15 Jun, 2012

 

Hello LL shame you haven't got black lace but you can make it with white Elderflower from the hedgerows. Tastes rather like Lieberflmilch ? wrong spelling I know !!
Afraid I haven't been on GoY for some time. This will give me the bug again. lol.

16 Jun, 2012

 

haha welcome back then! do you know i had a dream last night that my mum- inlaw came in with a load of black lace and i was telling her how to make it lol how strange! oh well in that case i mite have to go for a walk with my secatuers lol thanks pamd! :-)

17 Jun, 2012

 

It might be an old blog but I only just found it.
Love the idea as haven't made wine for a very long time (pre children even) & now this recipe is making me want to all over again, lol.
Popped in my favs too.

30 Jun, 2015

 

Ooooo I'd forgot about this, I'm laid in the sun counting how many heads are on mine and getting quite excited about the possibilities lol

1 Jul, 2015

 

Hello Green finger & Simbad, wow, haven't been on GoY for such a long time, I see I was saying the same in 2012 lol.thanks for contact. I keep looking at my pink flower heads thinking I should make some. I buy a magazine called Landscape, & May/June issue had some lovely Elderflower recipe's in, page 54. Enjoy.

2 Jul, 2015

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