Yorkshire Pudding Posted May 10, 2011 Report Share Posted May 10, 2011 Gentlemen ................. Sterlise your spoons , the Elderflowers are here . This year i am going to make 3 times my own weight of Elderflower wine and champagne ( i will gladly give some of the finest fluid to the person who guesses the amount of Elderflower wine/champagne i am going to make . use formula 1kg of pudding = 1 litre of Elderflower ). Anybody else noticing flowers are out round there way ? all the best yis yp :yp: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slated Posted May 10, 2011 Report Share Posted May 10, 2011 246 litters Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curly87 Posted May 10, 2011 Report Share Posted May 10, 2011 What is the best way of doing this? I tried last year with a recipe of the BBC website I believe and ended up with moldy elderflowers floating on top of the water. Have you got a sure fire way to make some elderflower wine or champagne? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lampwick Posted May 11, 2011 Report Share Posted May 11, 2011 Just noticed flowers bursting through on Monday! I can't wait to get this years wine under way . Elderflower was last years best wine. I spent hours picking the flowers from the stems, thought it was a joke but it did make a difference. If you've done it before you will be looking forward to it if not give it a go it is really quite easy! Shippy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kes Posted May 11, 2011 Report Share Posted May 11, 2011 I used to make it ages ago - 1-2 lbs of flowers to a gallon of water. Add juice of 1 lemon per gallon and 1 /2 orange .Allow to 'fester' for about 10-12 days, strain through muslin and first ferment.Second fermentation in bottles which can take pressure adding 1/2 - 1 tsp of sugar as starter for second fermentation. Easy way to remove flowers before washing is to 'comb' through flowers with a dining fork - removes most of the stems. At least I think this is what I used to do - its a long time ago!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mungler Posted May 11, 2011 Report Share Posted May 11, 2011 (edited) I've never got into this aspect of home brewing but am interested. Anyone got a link to a noddy website that shows what has to be done from start to finish? Cheers. YP, stick my guess down as 200 litres EDIT: Scratch that, I had a look at this link: http://www.thewinepages.org.uk/elderflower_wine_recipe.htm And fear that I have neither the time nor the patience Edited May 11, 2011 by Mungler Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
natcot Posted May 11, 2011 Report Share Posted May 11, 2011 I followed Hugh's method last year and it was superb, see below. I too am going to make as much as possible this year as it really is a lovely refreshing summer drink. http://www.channel4.com/4food/recipes/chefs/hugh-fearnley-whittingstall/elderflower-champagne-recipe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UKPoacher Posted May 11, 2011 Report Share Posted May 11, 2011 Elderflower cordial is well worth making too. You can freeze it and use it all year. When mixed with carbonated water it is almost an alcohol free champagne. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diceman Posted May 11, 2011 Report Share Posted May 11, 2011 I used to do this sort of thing for a living. Vodka instead of water will give you a more complete extraction of the volatile flavour components of the flowers and prevent them going off at the same time. You can use the extract as a flavouring for cordial at quite low levels, it is surprisingly strong. Or just add a bit of sugar for a nice elderflower liqueur. Aqueous (water) extractions for cordial might benefit from a spot of preservative, ask at your local home brew shop, they will extract better and keep for longer but you won't be able to ferment into wine as it will kill the yeast. There is no need to soak the flowers for more than 12 hours, you won't get any more flavour out of them. If you are going to ferment in the bottle PLEASE make sure you use suitable bottles. My cousin has a magnificent set of scars on his back and neck from an exploding batch of homebrew champagne. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henry d Posted May 11, 2011 Report Share Posted May 11, 2011 I used to do this sort of thing for a living........ Can I pick your brains then ? I`ve done the champagne thing and it was very good (and safe), however I am interested in using the voddie method and wanted to know what weight/volume you use to a litre? Many thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diceman Posted May 12, 2011 Report Share Posted May 12, 2011 Can I pick your brains then ? I`ve done the champagne thing and it was very good (and safe), however I am interested in using the voddie method and wanted to know what weight/volume you use to a litre? Many thanks Our aim was to make as concentrated an extract as possible which to be honest would be a bit much if you were going to drink it neat. The finished product was about 20% alcohol so roughly 50-50 water-vodka mix, and that would flavour a cordial concentrate at about 1-2% addition rate equivalent in the diluted drink. I can't remember the exact figures but you need enough liquid to totally cover the flower + stalk (we never bothered to separate the petals)if they are reasonably well packed in the container you are using. Bear in mind we were making about 10 tonnes at a time though so it's hard to scale down the chemistry into a bucket. If I get time I will have a go at the weekend and let you know how I get on. What you end up with is something equivalent to a flavouring essence, perhaps a little weaker, and although is is easy to store and will keep for ages tyou still have to fanny about making the cordial with it, so you might be better off using a recipe like this http://uktv.co.uk/food/recipe/aid/516164 However if you just want to flavour a vodka I would say a handful of petals into a bottle would be a good starting point, then leave for a day or so. (Once you get to an equilibrium beteen the soluble flavour compounds in the liquid and those in the flower you won't extract any more) Filter the flowers out through a couple of layers of very fine muslin a couple of times, and mix with lemonade when it is done. Lovely. Or add half a sliced lemon to the vodka while extracting, then mix in a glass with sparkling water and a spot of sugar. Or just sip it neat if you are an alky like me. Don't forget the season is short, maybe 2-3 weeks, so if you want to keep experimenting you can keep the cut flowers in a fridge for a few days or in a freezer for a few months, but its best to use them as fresh as possible as the flavour compounds are very volatile and you can soon be left only with the cat pee notes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henry d Posted May 14, 2011 Report Share Posted May 14, 2011 Cheers Diceman, I have a hankering to try making some flavoured spirits to add to a cider, similar to kopperberg(sp) cider with elderflower. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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