Elderberry drink

Elderflower drink takes me straight back to childhood. Every early summer, my dad would make a huge batch in a giant jar, and we’d scoop it out with a ladle whenever we craved something sweet or refreshing: our homemade “juice.”

Back then, store-bought soft drinks weren’t nearly as accessible or varied as they are now. Not that I’d recommend those sugary PET-bottled drinks today either (and neither should you! 😄). So people often turned to more natural or healthier options: sometimes by necessity, sometimes just out of habit. I’m pretty sure just about every household took advantage of the short elderflower season to make a proper batch of this delicious drink.

Elderflower drink is a seasonal treat that we should absolutely enjoy while it lasts: it’s natural, easy to make, and refreshing.

The only downside? It does contain sugar. But hey, you can always substitute it with honey if you prefer. And honestly, considering the amount of water in the recipe, the sugar ratio isn’t all that bad.

Ingredients: (I used two 3.5 L jars – so 7 liters in total)

• 4 lemons
• 12–14 elderflower heads
• 450 g sugar
• water

Preparation:
Thoroughly scrub the lemons with an abrasive sponge to clean them well. Rinse the elderflower flowers under a strong stream of water, taking extra care to remove any dust or small insects. Shake off the excess water and set aside.
In clean jars (or one large jar if you have it – since I had two, I divided all the ingredients equally between them), place one thinly sliced lemon in each jar. Add 200 g of sugar and the juice from another lemon on top.
So that’s 2 lemons per jar—roughly the ratio for 3.5–4 liters of water and 200 g of sugar..

We remove all the green stems from the elderflower clusters by cutting them off at the base where the flower heads separate.

I divided the elderflowers evenly between my jars. Then, fill each jar with water up to the top.

Using a wooden spoon, stir thoroughly until all the sugar is completely dissolved. Place a small plate on top of each jar to serve as a lid.

Leave the jars for 4–5 days on the terrace, balcony, windowsill, or any sunny spot to encourage fermentation. 🙂

After 4–5 days, strain the drink into a bottle or directly into glasses, and serve it as is or over ice.

If you try the recipe, let me know how you liked it! 😊

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