Finished bottle Elderflower Bubbles - Elderflowers - Foraging Courses - Preserving Courses - Preserving Courses South London - Preserving Courses East Surrey

Elderflower ChampagneElderflower Champagne

30th May 202030th May 2020
Finished bottle Elderflower Bubbles - Elderflowers - Foraging Courses - Preserving Courses - Preserving Courses South London - Preserving Courses East Surrey
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Lower Alchol content and Gentle Fizz

If you have been put off making elderflower champagne due to hearing horror stories of exploding glass bottles then this elderflower bubbles recipe is the one for you.

It has relatively little yeast involved, therefore only a little alcohol, and minimal levels of fizz, so very low risk of exploding. Served chilled our elderflower bubbles is a perfect companion for curling up in a hammock with a good book in the sunshine.

In fact this recipe came to me via a friend from a baptist minister who had convinced himself that it was alcohol free. The bubbles will tell you this is NOT the case…

If your after a little more investment of time and risk for a higher rate of alcohol check out our elderflower fizz recipe.

Read more about the Elder tree and some of the folklore that surrounds it in our factfile on Elder Trees here.

Spring time wild champagne drinking - Foraging - preserving - preserving courses
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Elderflower Champagne – Lower Alcohol and Gentle Fizz

This is a really good champagne recipe if you are looking for a refreshing mildly alcoholic drink to sip in the sunshine with a good book.
Course Drinks
Cuisine British
Keyword British, Champagne, Elderflower, Flowers, Foraged, Sparking wine
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Brewing time 1 day
Total Time 1 day 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings 5 Litres
Cost £2.5

Equipment

  • Muslin
  • 5 liters of Clean Bottles that can take pressure – Old Sparking water or lemonade bottles are ideal.

Ingredients

  • 6 Heads Elderflowers
  • 1.5 Pounds Sugar white
  • 2 Tbsp Cider vinegar
  • 1 Lemon zest and juice
  • 4.5 litres Water

Instructions

  • Pick your elderflowers – give them a sniff test, some smell sweet and summery – others like cats wee. Leave the latter ones for elderberries later in the year. Don’t pick a tree bare. But with only 6 heads you should be able to gather this all from a good smelling tree without making much impact. Do check out our blog on foraging and the law here.
    Picking Elderflowers - Foraging Courses - Preserving Courses - Preserving Courses South London - Preserving Courses East Surrey
  • Leave them out for a short while in the shade for the creatures inhabiting them to escape.
    Picked Elderflowers - Foraging Courses - Preserving Courses - Preserving Courses South London - Preserving Courses East Surrey
  • Cut off the majority of the stems, leaving just the flowers. The wood and the leaves of elder contain trace elements of cyanide that is best avoided.
    Removing the stems - Elderflowers - Foraging Courses - Preserving Courses - Preserving Courses South London - Preserving Courses East Surrey
  • Add the water and sugar together, stir well to dissolve the sugar.
    Add Water and stir till sugar dissolved - Elderflower - Foraging Courses - Preserving Courses - Preserving Courses South London - Preserving Courses East Surrey
  • Add all the other ingredients. Stir well.
    Adding the lemon - Elderflower - Foraging Courses - Preserving Courses - Preserving Courses South London - Preserving Courses East Surrey
  • Leave for 24 hours covered with a muslin, outside in a cool slightly breezy space. This will help it collect more wild yeasts.
    Cover with a tea towel or muslin - Elderflower - Foraging Courses - Preserving Courses - Preserving Courses South London - Preserving Courses East Surrey
  • Strain though a muslin.
    Strain through a muslin - Elderflower - Foraging Courses - Preserving Courses - Preserving Courses South London - Preserving Courses East Surrey
  • Bottle into bottles that are designed to take some pressure.
    Bottle the champagne - Elderflower - Foraging Courses - Preserving Courses - Preserving Courses South London - Preserving Courses East Surrey
  • Leave in a cool dark place for two weeks.
  • Enjoy chilled in the sunshine.
    Spring time wild champagne drinking - Foraging - preserving - preserving courses

Notes

I’ve had success with swapping the elderflowers in this recipe for dandelion petals. I did strip the petals off the stems though – a very time consuming process. The green stem tastes very bitter however.
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2 thoughts on “Elderflower Champagne”

  1. Hi Lizzy. Does the champagne need to be kept in the fridge? Would not have room for a whole batch if this is the case.

    1. Nope. Store in a cupboard until you want to drink it. I’d recommend serving chilled.

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