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Elderflower cordial

Name: Elderflower cordial
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: Makes about 2 litres
Cuisine: British recipes
Ingredients: 1kg granulated sugar; 3 unwaxed lemons; 4 limes; 50 or so large elderflower heads; 65g citric acid (available from some pharmacies or online)

Published: 31 May 13
Updated: 18 Mar 24

Make a supply of this cordial recipe when elderflowers are in season and it’ll be easy to put together fantastic summer desserts for months to come.

Find out how to forage elderflower, and what else you can do with the flowers, alongside our best elderflower cordial recipes here.

And if you need a way to use your cordial, how lovely does floating clouds in elderflower custard sound?

Easy
June 2013

Test kitchen approved

Makes about 2 litres
Takes 10 minutes to make, plus cooling and steeping

Make a supply of this cordial recipe when elderflowers are in season and it’ll be easy to put together fantastic summer desserts for months to come.

Find out how to forage elderflower, and what else you can do with the flowers, alongside our best elderflower cordial recipes here.

And if you need a way to use your cordial, how lovely does floating clouds in elderflower custard sound?

Nutrition: per serving

Calories: 49kcals
Fat: no fat
Protein: None
Carbohydrates: 12.2g (12.5g sugars)
Fibre: no fibre
Salt: no salt

Per 100ml

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Ingredients

1kg granulated sugar
3 unwaxed lemons
4 limes
50 or so large elderflower heads
65g citric acid (available from some pharmacies or online)

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Method

Put the sugar in an enamel, glass or ceramic bowl with 1.75 litres boiling water. Stir to dissolve the sugar, cover with a clean tea towel and leave to cool completely.
Zest and slice the lemons and thinly slice the limes. Add the zest and fruit slices to the cold sugar solution. Shake the flowers to displace any hidden insects, and remove the stalks. Add the flowers to the bowl with the citric acid, then stir. Cover with cling film and leave for 36 hours in a cool dark place.
Strain through a fine sieve, then strain again, this time through a sieve lined with a fine muslin cloth. Decant into sterilised glass bottles and keep in a cool dark place for up to 2 months. Once opened, refrigerate and use within a month.