Elderflower cordial (syrup)

Fläderblomssaft

Elderflowers and lemons

Saft (cordial/syrup) is a sweet concentrate, made from water, sugar, berries or flowers and citrus, which is diluted for drinking. Brits refer to it as cordial, but in America it is normally called syrup.

The cover of a Swedish book called 'Sylta & Safta'

Cordials/syrups are popular all over northern Europe with Swedes probably the keenest makers of all nationalities, possibly as a consequence of their long tradition of foraging. Indeed, Sweden's most popular cookery book, Vår Kokbok, includes 9 saft recipes and the ever popular Sylta & Safta has 19.

The most popular saft in Sweden is probably fläderblomssaft (elderflower cordial/syrup), but other popular varieties include jordgubbssaft (strawberry), svart vinbärssaft (blackcurrant), rosensaft (rose) and rabarbersaft med röd vinbär (rhubarb with red currants).

Although elderberries are a good source of vitamin C, there is none in the flowers. However, the flowers contain antioxidants, which enhance the effects of vitamin C from other sources in your diet. In other words, elderflower cordial/syrup has some health benefits, unless you add lots of alcohol! John Duxbury

Summary

Recipe summary for Swedish style elderflower syrup 

Tips

An elder flower head

• Elder (Sambucus nigra) normally flowers from late May until the end of June. It’s best to harvest the flowers when they are a rich, creamy colour and smell fragrant. Avoid picking if the buds aren't open or they are turning brown.
• Much of the delicate flavour is from the pollen, which looks at bit like yellow dust, so avoid transferring the flowers from one container to another as pollen inevitably falls off the flowers.
• Collecting the flowers in a wicker basket may look attractive, but it really isn't a good choice because so much of the pollen will be lost!
• If possible, cut the flower heads directly into a non-reactive container you will use to make the cordial/syrup.
• Cut the flower just below the head, avoiding any leaves or too much stem.
• It is said that it is best to pick the flowers early on a dry day, before the sun hits them and their aroma starts to fade. I don't know whether that is really true, but I try to do that anyway!
• Only pick from a bush or tree that has plenty of flowers and then only pick a small percentage, less than 10%.
• Never wash the flowers, because you will simply wash away a lot of the pollen/flavour!
• I tend to find it better to pick the flowers early in the season because they seem to have less annoying tiny flies on them.

A packet of citric acid

• Citric acid is usually added as a preservative and so is sold in most supermarkets in Sweden. Outside of Sweden you can normally buy citric acid in health food stores or online. If you can't find any, you can add 120 ml (½ cup) of lemon juice instead, but the resulting cordial may taste too lemony. Alternatively, if you don't intend to keep the cordial/syrup more than a couple of weeks, you can omit it completely.
• Flädersaft can be kept in the freezer and is easily scooped out of a container as needed, since the high sugar content keeps it from freezing hard.
• For a slightly less sweet cordial (syrup), reduce the amount of sugar from 2 kg to 1.5 kg, but this will reduce the shelf life slightly as the sugar acts as a preservative.

Ingredients

40   large elderflower heads in full bloom
3   lemons, preferably unwaxed
2 litres (8 cups) water
2 kg (8 cups) granulated sugar
50 g (4 tbsp) citric acid, optional

Method

1. Cut the elderflower heads directly into a non-reactive container that is large enough to accommodate 4 litres (8 pints).

2. Pick over the flowers removing any insects and leaves, but try and avoid removing the flowers from the container or wiping up the pollen at the bottom of the container.

3. Slice the lemons and add them on top of the flowers.

4. Bring 2 litres (4 pints) of water and 2 kg of sugar to a boil in a large pot, stirring periodically to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat and stir in the citric acid until it dissolves. Carefully pour the hot liquid over the lemon slices and elderflowers. Stir everything well and cover the container with a lid or a towel and let it sit in a cool, dark place for 3-5 days. Stir daily, more often if you can.

5. After 3-5 days, strain the mixture through a piece of muslin (cheese cloth) into a clean bowl. Discard the flowers and lemon slices.

6. If necessary, strain a second time through good quality kitchen towel or coffee filter paper and transfer to sterilised bottles, or plastic containers if you are freezing it. Store the cordial/syrup in the refrigerator or freezer.

Serving suggestions

Glasses of diluted elderflower cordial/syrup

1. Add some ice to a glass along with a slice of lemon or lime. Pour in cordial/syrup until the glass is roughly a quarter full, then top up with still or sparkling water or tonic. Stir to mix.

Glasses of elderflower cordial/syrup with sparkling wine

2. Add some ice, mint and berries to a glass. Pour 2-3 tablespoons or so of elderflower cordial over and then top-up with sparkling wine. Stir and enjoy.

Elderflower cordial with prosecco and lime

3. Add some ice, a slice of lemon or a wedge of lime (I prefer lime) and a small sprig of mint to a large wine glass. Pour in some elderflower cordial (about 2 tablespoons), top up with Prosecco and stir.

4. Pour some undiluted elderflower cordial over some vanilla ice cream.

Marinated strawberries with elderflower parfait

5. Use the cordial (syrup) to make a delicious fläderblomsparfait (elderflower parfait), shown above with marinated strawberries. More…

Elderflower and strawberry ice cream in a cone

6. Use the cordial (syrup) to make some jordgubb och fläderglass (strawberry and elderflower ice cream). More…

Strawberry cake with elderflower cream

7. Make some elderflower cream and use as a cake filling, along with sliced strawberries. (The cake shown is topped with whipped cream and wild strawberries.) More…

8. Elderflower goes well with gooseberries, so consider adding some cordial/syrup to a gooseberry tart or gooseberry jam.

9. Elderflower jelly filled with summer berries is fabulous!

10. Use some elderflower cordial to make a lovely floral-scented sorbet. Garnish with a few elderflowers and perhaps a little sparkling wine.

Downloads

printer copy sb  printer version.pdf

Phone and tablet h32  phone & tablet version.pdf

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