I’d been eyeing my neighbour’s elderflower tree for weeks. As its branches spilled into our garden, I seized the opportunity to gather a few blooms. The result? A delicious elderflower cordial, made just in time for a Friday evening cocktail.
Elderflower cordial is simple enough to make. You just need some citric acid, which gives it an extra zing as well as helping to preserve it. It’s easy enough to get hold of – I order mine here.
It also does take a bit of patience: a couple of days to infuse in the fridge. Although, once it’s ready, it keeps beautifully for a few months.
ELDERFLOWER MOJITO
If you're blessed with an abundance of elderflower in your garden, or in your neighbours garden, then I highly recommend making it into an elderflower cordial. So you can make a Friday night mojito, of course.
Ingredients
- 4 lime wedges
- 40 ml elderflower cordial
- 50 ml good-quality white rum
- 10 mint leaves
- ice (smaller cubes are better here)
- soda to top
Elderflower cordial
- 800 g caster sugar
- 2 lemons
- 30 heads of elderflower (don't wash them! Just shake them free of any debris)
- 1.5 tsp citric acid
Instructions
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Start with making the elderflower cordial. Combine the sugar and 1.2L of water in a large saucepan. Gently bring to a simmer over a medium heat, and stir until the sugar has fully dissolved. Remove the pan from the heat and allow it to cool for 15 minutes.
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Use a speed peeler to peel the zest from one of the lemons into long strips, then juice both. Add the zest and juice of the lemons into the pan, along with the elderflower heads and the citric acid. Give everything a good stir, then cover the pan with a lid and let it rest in the fridge for at least 24 hours to let the elderflower flavour infuse into the sugar syrup (if you can leave it for 48 hours, that's even better).
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When you are ready to decant, place a muslin cloth into a sieve over a large jug, and slowly pour your cordial through it to catch all the flowers. Give the muslin cloth a little squeeze, then you can discard everything within it. Transfer the cordial into a glass bottle and store in the fridge for up to three months, to use however you wish. I like to use it for cocktails… as below.
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To make your mojito, muddle the lime wedges with the elderflower cordial at the bottom of your glass, to release the lime juice. Add the white rum and mint leaves, and give them a gentle muddle too, to help release their flavour. Fill the glass with ice, and finish by topping with soda water. Garnish everything with a sprig of elderflower, or mint.
Recipe Notes
This elderflower cordial recipe was originally found on the Riverford website – and although I have made plenty of edits to it over the years, the base stays the same.
If you’re looking for more cocktail recipes, you’ll love my Pickle Martini. Or, if you want more recipe inspiration, check out my Instagram.
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