How to Make Elderflower Cordial + Preserve the Liquid

I was pushing my son on a swing at the little play area at our campground. Mid swing, I tell my husband, “I’m going to go check out a bush, I’ll be right back.” (haha, his face!) But as I got closer, I knew I struck gold. A giant Elder! I hadn’t seen one so big, standing taller than me and full of tiny, sweet smelling flowers. I of course have used the dried berries and dried flowers, but for the first time I got to forage fresh flowers to turn it into something special! Here’s how to make elderflower cordial with honey, plus preserve the liquid in cubes.

Elderflower

It’s hard to believe the tiny elderflowers have such a strong, sweet aroma, but they sure do! As powerful as their smell, is the power of their beneficial properties. Mostly known for being antiviral, elderflower is such a help when you’re dealing with a sinus cold or respiratory issues. Because it is anti-inflammatory, elderflower can reduce inflammation of sinus tissue and allow for the movement of congestion. – The Herbarium Resource

What’s a Cordial?

I didn’t want to make this as a tincture and loose all those wonderful sweet smelling notes. So I decided to make a cordial! Man I am sure glad I did. This recipe highlights everything you’d want from fresh foraged elderflowers – strong but sweet. A cordial is a sweet medicinal tonic. Often made with sugar and a sweet herb or flower. A cordial extracts the beneficial properties all the while tasting pleasant.

How to Make Elderflower Cordial with Honey

Start by collecting about 10 heads of elderflower blossoms, rinse throughly, you can’t imagine how many bugs I got out of mine! Let them dry.
In a 32 ounce jar, place blossoms, stems removed.
Pour in 1 cup of raw honey, yes honey! I opted to do this instead of sugar. If you’ve been around a while, you know I love honey for the taste AND benefits.
Next, add in about 4 slices of organic lemon.
Fill the rest of the jar with warm water.
Mix well until the honey dissolves.
Cover and let sit for 2 days.
It is normal for the flowers to brown a little!
Strain out the flowers & lemon slices, the liquid is then your cordial, yay!

Using Your Elderflower Cordial

You can use this as is, much like a syrup. Perfect to add to lemonade, cocktails, or a splash in mineral water. To take it a step further, freeze some up like I did! Pouring the cordial into an ice tray preserves the sweet liquid. Not to mention, how perfect are the cubes for portioning when making a drink! I use 2 cordial cubes, then fill the rest of my cup up with sparkling mineral water. It’s delicious! Keep your unfrozen cordial in the fridge, it will last a couple weeks.