Eat: Summer Solstice Elderflower Liquor

Summer has arrived last week, with the summer solstice. A few weeks ago, I started making elderflower liquor. I used a recipe which was intended for  Japanese green plum liquor (Umeshu), and that I found years ago on the youtube channel "Cooking with Dog". If you don't already know this channel, go go now! this is a wonder, the chef has such an incredible dexterity!
Last year I tried it with blackberries I foraged with a friend.
Few weeks ago, the elderflower was blossoming, and I just wondered if it would work. Here is the result!

For this recipe, you will need
10 Elderflower heads
900 ml Vodka (choose a good quality if you can, but not a flavooured one)
250g Rock Sugar (the white one will keep a nicer liquor color

It's very important you pick the flowers early in the morning, to avoid having too many insects, and also for a finer taste... you don't want them to smell like cat urine! To carry your flowers, use a basket instead of a bag, to avoid crushing them, these are so very delicate, they deserve to be treated gently! Start preparing them right after picking them, so the scent keeps that nice floral flavor (that's why St Germain is so delicious).

Always sterilize the containers and caps, to avoid the alcohol to waste away, and keep it in a dark place, like a fridge, or your cellar, otherwise the colour will wither away.

Once you have sterilized your jars, cut away any stems, and place the flowers in the jars, and cover wth the vodka (really cover them, otherwise they will turn brown). Close the lid, and let sit two weeks in a dark place. (Shake the bottle twice a day)

The two weeks gone, filter twice to discard all flowers and eventually insects, and then place in a sterilized bottle, with rock sugar. Close again, and let it sit into a dark place, until the sugar is dissolved. Shake the bottle twice a day. This should take 4 to 5 days.

Your liquor is ready to serve!

We tasted a sample with Mr Carden, and we both appreciated it a lot. It was as if we could smell the fresh petals. The alcohol is going straight to your head, so don't abuse it !

We found it rather delicious with fizzy water, and we plan on experimenting cocktails with it very soon!

I hope you will enjoy it!

A votre sante! Elisabeth Neveux