Photo by Holly A. Heyser
This recipe produces a warm, rich liqueur that will remind you of a tawny Port wine. Elderberries are in many ways little grapes, with a similar aroma, bloom on the skin and color; they even have little seeds inside. So I treated them like winegrapes for this recipe.
You need fresh elderberries for this, although I am sure you could use dried ones somehow. Maybe simmer them in water to reconstitute? And with the fresh berries, remember to destem them all — NO stems, as they are slightly toxic.
I’ve tested two recipes for elderberry liqueur: One where you buzz the berries in a blender, another using whole berries. I vastly prefer the method using whole, fresh berries, so here it is:
elderberry liqueur
Makes about 1 quart.
Prep Time: 30 days
- 1 pint fresh elderberries
- 1 quart vodka
- 3 one-inch pieces of lemon rind, white pith removed
- Sugar
- Put elderberries into a quart Mason jar and pour over the vodka. Add the lemon rind (make sure the rind has no white pith, as it is bitter.) Seal and put in a dark cupboard for at least a month, or up to 6 months.
- The alcohol will extract flavor from the elderberries over time, so the longer you let it sit, the inkier it will get.
- When it is the color you want – anything from a Pinot Noir color to downright black — pour the vodka through a strainer lined with cheesecloth into another jar and add sugar.
- How much sugar? At least 1/4 cup, but to your taste; I go with 1/3 cup. Shake to combine and put back in the cupboard.
- After a few days or weeks, the sugar will completely dissolve and the elderberry liqueur is ready to drink. It keeps forever.
More Recipes for Sweets and Syrups
Totally making this this weekend.
i have so many elderberries this year!! Can’t wait to try this out!
Uncooked elderberries are poisonous.
Linda: Funny, I and everyone I know have been eating them raw for many years with no ill effects. There is a red elderberry that lives in the West that is poisonous in its raw state, but this is made with the common Mexican blue elder, which is just fine raw, as is the common elder that lives on the East Coast.
That said, I have heard of a few people getting an upset stomach from eating large amounts of raw Eastern elderberries, but have never seen this in action.
Probably the best bottom line advice would be to eat a few raw to start and see if you are one of those people who are affected. It’s a little like mushrooms…
I was sick from eating ripe blue elderberries when I was a kid. I think I probably ate huge amounts of them, or so the story goes. They affect some people more than others, but the general rule is not to eat too many raw elderberries.
Hank was right in what he says, the white berries are slightly toxic as are the stalks, if eaten in huge amounts. Why would you want to eat raw berries and stalks?
When used in cooking or wine making there is no problem with toxocity? or is that tixocoty, or have I had too much elderberry wine?
[...] elderberries (which I got here) have steeped in vodka for about a month, per these instructions by Hank Shaw on his excellent blog, Hunger Angler Gardener Cook (which you need to see). So it [...]
[...] Perhaps I’m better off sticking to the steepy types of recipes rather than the actual brewing. Elderberry liqueur? [...]
I recently was warned of laws protecting elderberries in the low elevations in and around Sacramento. Something about an endangered beetle. Do you have any information or advice on this? Elderberries seem to be everywhere right now and I’d love to make some jelly.
Susan: There is an elderberry longhorn beetle that is threatened, so there are a lot of elderberries planted to help their habitat. Wherever a beetle is found they usually cordon off the bush. I pick a lot in the Sierra, but around Sacramento, I have a few places I can pick where it’s no problem.
It is also important to know that picking the berries does not hurt either the tree or the beetle. The beetle lives in the elderberry’s bark, and pays no attention at all to the berries.
Not all rangers interpret the law this way, though. I have picked elderberries in front of some rangers who merely asked me what I was going to do with them. Other rangers told me to stop, and even though I’ve reasoned with them, they still told me I could not. Never got a ticket, though.
You will find that law enforcement in the natural world is uneven. When you find a nice, understanding ranger, be nice to him or her. It helps a lot.
Thanks Hank – There are many a few blocks from my house on a RR levy. Plenty of wild things grow there, so I don’t think it’s sprayed or monitored much. I’ll just have to wash them extra well. Thanks for the deeper info. I won’t be scared to try them.
[...] Elderberry liqueur [...]
Uncooked elderberries have a variety of alkaloids on them, which have a varying effect (narcotic and medicinal) dependant on environment and the type. It is not true to say outright that uncooked elderberries are poisonous, though they do have a dangerous effect on some people.
However, I would reckon that the vodka would have the biggest effect on almost all people in this instance.
Still, would rinsing the berries in boiling water impair the taste much? That would surely reduce the risk of a dangerous reaction to uncooked elderberries.
Mike: I’ve been making this liqueur, as have lots of other people, for several years now with no ill effects. I would not boil the berries at all. If you do, it will break the berries and drastically affect the clarity of the liqueur. It may also dilute it significantly. But go ahead and try it, and let me know how it goes.
I am above Sac and this is the first year I have known about Elderberries. Mine are currently white. Is it to late to make liqueur with them?
Hank,
I just had an amazing drink that a local place called “St. Germain’s Remains.” I hadn’t had elderberry liqueur before but that drink was AMAZING! I really want to make elderberry liqueur so that I can replicate the drink. I don’t have access to fresh berries but did find some dried berries. I’ve read that you can use them but it doesn’t taste as good or as flavorful. Do you have any experience with this and what are your thoughts?
Thank you!
After reading this recipe a few years ago, I started packing along a 2 gallon ziplock bag while out deer hunting. Late October is the perfect time of year in Oregon to find ripe elderberries in the high country. I pick the clusters, stems and all and fill the bag, then toss the whole bag in my freezer when I get home.
When I have time I take the frozen berry clusters out of the freezer and carefully roll them around in my hand. The frozen berries fall right off leaving almost no stems.
A rinse and a pick through for any leftover stems and they’re ready. This is the 3rd year running I’ve made this. 1 gallon batches. I am ready to bottle this year’s bounty this weekend for Christmas gifts.
Add in some smoked salmon and venison summer sausage that I also make, along with some of my wife’s Christmas candy, and everyone’s happy.
Thanks for the recipe. It’s been a big holiday hit in my family.
Oh I absolutely LOVE your site. It fits me perfectly! I hunt, fish, forage, and LOVE to cook all that I have been lucky enough to bring home.
A note to Brandy. Pomegranate seeds with a few cranberries will get you very close to the taste of elderberries. There is a pomegranate infused tequila that I always buy in Mexico to bring home. It is so good. Reminds me a lot of Hank’s elderberry vodka.
I poured off a sampler last night. About 3 ozs. in a small glass on the rocks with a big splash of club soda and a lime twist. Outstanding as always! The flavor is crisp and clean, a little bit sweet and tart. Beautiful deep red color.
Now for the hardest part… Giving it away as gifts.