Making your own elderflower liqueur, or cordial, is a way to remember that moment when spring becomes summer, even in the depths of winter.
Elderflowers are the color of butter and smell sweet and just a bit spicy. Their beauty fades fast, however. You will need to pick them before noon, as the aroma fades once the afternoon sun hits the flowers. Time is also important: You want to make this liqueur within an hour or two of picking the flowers to get the best effect.
Mercifully, it could not be easier. Simply pick off enough flowers to loosely fill a quart Mason jar and pour over your alcohol. Keep in a dark place for a few weeks, strain, then add sugar to taste.
What to do with your elderflower liqueur? Anything that normally requires St. Germain, which is a commercially available elderflower liqueur. Elderflower liqueur is especially good ice cold on a hot summer’s afternoon, or neat during winter. I like it with gin as an elderflower martini.
Keep in mind the liqueur will darken as it ages into a deep amber. This is normal.
I use the flowers from the Western elderberry, Sambucus mexicana, also known as S. cerulea. But you can also use flowers from the Eastern elderberry, S. nigra. Technically they are all S. nigra — the Western plants are a subspecies — but there is significant aroma differences.
Every state and most Canadian provinces have at least one version of black or blue elderberry. One elderberry you do not want for your liqueur is the red elderberry, S. racemosa. That one is borderline toxic, and will not make a good drink.
Elderflower Liqueur
Ingredients
- 10 to 20 Elderflower heads
- 1 quart vodka or Everclear
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar
Instructions
- Snip the flowers off the stalks into a quart Mason jar. Remember the stalks and leaves of elderberry plants are toxic, so snip off as much of the stems as you can. Getting them all is not possible, but spend some time removing the stems.
- Cover the flowers with the alcohol and seal. What alcohol? Your choice, really. Typical is 80-proof vodka, but I prefer 100-proof vodka. And once a year I use Everclear or some other 151-plus proof alcohol. Why? The flavors and aromas of elderflowers are not all extractable by water, or alcohol for that matter. I find that the higher the alcohol content, the cleaner and purer the elderflower flavor. Of course, if you use Everclear, you will need to cut the liqueur with lots of water or ice -- otherwise it will knock you down in a hurry.
- You will want to submerge the flowers completely in the alcohol. If you don't, the top layer of flowers will oxidize from contact with air, turning brown. This doesn't harm your liqueur, and for years I made it this way and it was fine. But a better way to do it is to use a narrow-necked jar and fit another, smaller jar into the opening to create an airlock. Or, you can weigh the flowers down with a small plate or jar lid or something.
- Keep in a cool, dark place for as long as you like, but at least a few days. I typically hold mine for two weeks, although I used to do a month. The longer you steep the flowers, the darker the liqueur gets.
- Strain twice. First through a fine-meshed strainer to remove the flowers and debris. Then strain it again through the same strainer, only with a piece of paper towel set inside it. This second straining removes very fine particulates, like the pollen. You can skip this second straining, but your liqueur will be cloudy.
- For a quart's worth, add between 1/4 cup and 1/2 cup sugar, depending on how sweet you want it. Seal the jar again and shake well to combine. If you are using Everclear, a good way to get the sugar into the liqueur -- and dilute it enough to make it drinkable -- is to mix the sugar with an equal volume of water, heat it until the sugar is completely dissolved, cool it back to room temperature, and then add it to the liqueur.
- Put the jar back in the pantry, and shake it from time to time until the sugar has dissolved. When it is, you are ready to drink it. It will last forever.
That’s sound good. I have to try it tonight. Thank for sharing
Hank, I love your posts, thank you for sharing . I am wondering, have you ever made this with your non alcoholic elderflower cordial in place of the sugar water in this recipe?
Alexandra: I have not, but that’s a great idea!
I made a batch using dried flowers and found the amount does matter. Mine is strong and does not taste at all like St. Germain. If anyone has successfully please tell me how many you used.
Hi, Hank,
I have a blue elderberry with lovely, fragrant flowers. I have made elderflower cordial before, always delicious, and last spring I tried your liqueur recipe, using Smirnoff #21 vodka (80 proof). Very carefully removed every bit of stem from the flowers, followed the recipe exactly, put the jar in a dark cupboard…and forgot about it for 10 months! I just strained it today and added the sugar. About 2/3 of the flowers had gone brown, I can still smell the elderflower scent, and no bitter taste…but the alcohol smell and taste is overpowering. Is that because of the type of vodka? Too cheap? Any suggestions to mellow it and help the elderflower taste come through more? Thanks!
By the way, last spring’s large batch of cordial (made with sugar, water & lemons) lasted a long time in the refrigerator. About halfway through the last bottle, I noticed that the replaceable cork would pop when I opened it, and it tasted like the cordial had started to ferment (not spoiled, but in a good way, like generating some alcohol). Have you ever experienced that?
Michele: I’ve experienced both things you mention. The elderflower vodka needs to be strained within a month or two of steeping or you’ll get the serious brown color. Best I can advise is to add more new elderflowers to it and leave them in there only a couple weeks. Adding sugar helps, too. As for the fermenting cordial, that can happen, too, over time.
I have an elderberry bush with pink flowers. Tons of them all over the bush. ( it’s a tree now). They smell fabulous. I’ve made infused honey and liquor last year. I get very few berries off of the tree but I think it’s because there isn’t another tree around. Have you seen or worked with the pink flowers? The syrup turns a beautiful soft pink. I have never gotten ill but no one has ever commented on the pink flowers.
Thanks!
We’re trying to make this in a small batch distillery, but with dried elderflowers. Dried is about all we can get to make this possible, so far the results have been pretty bad. Might anyone have a clue about this?
Paul: yes, use fresh flowers. It matters. Sorry, but no one I know has had good success with dried flowers.
I wish we had access to elderflowers as I know I would like this – elderflower cordial was a favorite when I lived in the UK.
Susan: Where do you live now?
Thanks for sharing your recipe. I do want to try it this year!!
I also have dried elder flowers and read in another source that the container you use should be half filled with dried flowers and then filled with your choice of alcohol. I am trying it – fingers crossed!
How much dried elderflower would you use in place of fresh? 🙂
Jenny: I personally don’t use dried elderflower, so I am not sure.
Mine has gone dark brown, I have strained it and bottled is it still ok to drink?
Sarah: Yes, that happens sometimes. The flowers oxidized.
And can we add in the honeysuckle and rose petals? Anything else mix well ?
Hi. Hank. So,how is this different extract-wise from a tincture. They seem identical except for a bit of sugar,but tincture are in wee precious little bottles and you take drops. This seems the same recipe,but you drink it by the glass.
Elaine: Yep, pretty much. And yes, you can add honeysuckle. Not sure rose would be a great idea, unless it is a creamy or yellow rose.
I did 2 things differently….
1) I used dried elderflowers
2) I did not have the proper ratio of dried elderflowers to vodka so I guessed.
The final result is my liqueur is dark and bitter. Is it possible to transform this into a delicious liqueur? Perhaps it just needs diluted and sweetened. I have not done that yet.
Hopefully this can easily be fixed. I would hate to throw it away.
Carol: I’d toss it. Once something is bitter it will always be bitter. I never use dried flowers because they have no aroma, and that is what you are looking for here. Even with fresh flowers, the liqueur will darken over time, though.
Can I use dried elderflowers in this recipe?
Lindsey: In theory, but I’ve never had good success with dried flowers.
Hi – I put this recipe together earlier this summer, late mid-June in Indiana this year, and then forgot about it (well, before straining and adding sugar). I just got it out of the cabinet today, strained and added sugar. It is a beautiful melted butter yellow with a delightful fragrance, and smooth flavor. I can’t wait to try it again once the sugar has dissolved. Next year I hope to get enough flowers for more than one quart.
Question – have you ever left it to steep for more than 3 months and were you happy with the results?
Thanks
Tamy: You bet. Works well.
How does your elderflower liqueur recipe differ from the store bought versions? Are they also made with vodka? The store bought versions are 40 proof, while common vodka’s are 80 proof. So, do producers add water, like your recipe suggest?
In response to Keetakins, i agree that it sounds like you did not remove enough stem material. It imparts a very strong an unpleasant vegetal taste. When I work with elder flowers, I strip them from the stems by hand. It is tedious work, but it makes a huge difference in flavor. Also, acidulating your liquid with a small amount of citric acid helps prevent browning and oxidization.
Hi, I’ve tried to make 2 batches of Elderflower Liqueur, using gin. However both have had a really strong bitter, plant-like smell and flavour, which isn’t very pleasant. I originally thought it might have been due to oxidisation, however witht the second batch I created a seal with cling-film. Have you any ideas/advice please? 🙂
Keetakins: Only thing I can think of is that you had too many stems in there. The stems are toxic, so you need to pluck the flowers off. A few teeny stems are OK, but it needs to be minimized.
You’ll want to make more than one jar…just sayin’
Hi. I am working on some elderflower liqueur but the flowers were turning brown as I worked. I have my jars filled and several of them are brown. Do you think they will turn out ok? I made sure to not use any flowers that were brown on the stem.
Kelly: You’ll be fine. They oxidize rapidly.
How many flowers do you need per mason jar?
Debbie: Lots. There is no way to quantify it.
Not all of my elder flowers bloom at the same time – can I make the liqueur a little at a time?
Dorothy: No. You need to do it all at once. My advice is to pick from several plants.
I love your blog!! I”m currently writing a column about elderflower and plan on quoting you….keep up the great work!!! Thanks for being such an awesome resource!!
This sounds absolutely lovely! I have harvested wild elderberries for years and make elderberry syrup for cold and flu as well as some elderberry wine. Had no idea I could do something with elderberries in their flowering stage.
My husband is Danish, where there is a serious tradition of steeping pretty much anything in strong alcohol and drinking it. We experiment a lot, and this year we steeped hazel flowers, just as they were releasing pollen, in vodka. Very, VERY good. Pussy willows are another good one. And linden flowers, and and and …
I’ve had good success with elderflower liqueur, other than a color change from golden to brown over time. The taste doesn’t seem to suffer. I’ve had the same experience with basil liqueur going from bright green to brown, while citrus liqueurs have retained their color. Have any thoughts about preserving the color? Citric acid, perhaps?
Don: Higher proof alcohol.
I just made up some elderflower cordial. This really imports quite a bit of flavor to the simple syrup. Do you think I could put this in the vodka for more flavorful alcohol experience?
Michelle: But of course!
According to “Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast” by Pojar & MacKinnon, red elderberries were a highly-valued food for Native Americans. The book says (page 70), “They should always be cooked, since the raw berries may cause nausea. They were sometimes boiled to make sauce or cooked with the stems intact. The stems and seeds were discarded later. The berries make an excellent, tangy jelly, and some people make wine from them, but they should always be cooked for this purpose. Caches of red elderberries have been found in archaeological sites dating back hundreds of years. The stem, bark, leaves, and roots, especially in fresh plants, are toxic due to the presence of cyanide-producing glycosides.”
This website has a lot of information on how Native Americans used to process red elderberries: http://arcadianabe.blogspot.com/2013/07/red-elderberry-experiment-1.html
I’ve just mixed up a batch of the red elderflowers (they’re actually white) and some vodka. I’m looking forward to seeing what it tasts like in a cocktail!
I’m will try this. We live in West Virginia and have a couple different species of elderberry/flower plants. They grow everywhere allong the river. I’ve used the flowers as a garnish on salads. And people here make jellies and jams out of the berries later in the year. May have to try this with honeysuckle flowers as well.
Hey folks try running a dinner fork through the flowers to easily remove them from the stems
I get a terrible headache from vodka. Would you recommend any other clear liquid? Rum? Tequila? What about brandy? What did you think of the grappa idea? And there was mention of sambuca, but no other reference.
I live on a 60X100-foot lot in the city, with an elderberry in the shade of a black walnut. I get flowers, no berries. Lots of nuts, though. Have enjoyed your posts on the walnuts.
Thanks.
Debbi: Grappa is a great idea. Rum is OK, and I would not go with tequila. Gin might work though.
Debbie, have you gotten berries yet? Elderberries are supposed to be self-pollinating, but they fruit better with another of the same type (canadensis, nigra or Caerulea). And they do prefer at least some sun.
Red Elder also grows in California. All parts of the plant are considered toxic. Know how to tell the difference before foraging.
Isabelle: You’re mostly right. Red elder flowers and berries are borderline toxic, and are certainly no good. You want only blue or black elder for this recipe.
bonjour hank! The sambuca elderflower liqueur was par excellence with a deep pink color and rich fabulous taste and aroma . . . was a huge hit at our annual Bastille Day party. Really appreciate your help in the process and will be planting another bush this summer. We used Absolut 100 with 30 flowers per bottle and also did another batch with the traditional white flowers. We did a blind taste test with a bottle of St. Germain and the 2 homemade brews won hands down. Merci!
kitty
Red elder doesn’t only grow in the Pacific Northwest — I live in Vermont and it grows around here, too. Like other foragers, I have always avoided it and will probably continue to do so, but someone in one of my online wildcrafting groups pointed us in the direction of this article that has a lot of information about them — interesting stuff!
http://www.eattheweeds.com/elderberries-red-white-and-blue/
I have two massive elderberry bushes and a German-born friend suggested I try making the liqueur, but my bushes are the American Sambucus Canadensis (which has no fragrance that I can smell, not the European Sambucus nigra. Is it still possible?
Yes. Try picking the flowers early in the day on a dry day. Aroma in flowers seems to fade as the day goes by.
Darn it! I hate to do that but better safe than sorry. Thank you for your advice.
Hank, I just poured 100 proof vodka over 2 quarts of elderflower after reading this blog post but before reading through the comments. I saw the comment where you said not to use the red berries that grow in the Pacific Northwest, where I live. Is it ok for me to use only the flowers of the red kind? I don’t want to poison myself and my friends who will drink this!
I never use any part of the red elderberry. Nor have I ever heard of anyone using red elderberry flowers. I’d toss it.
Made a batch of elderflower liqueur using your method and tasted it tonight. Absolutely. Delicious. I let is steep two weeks and the color resembles your picture above. The only change I made was after steeping, I simply stirred the sugar directly into the 100 proof alcohol I had used. The aroma reminds me a bit of bananas foster! Thank you so much.
I have my elderflowers soaking in vodka (been soaking for 3 days)
but as I was out walking I have seen some huge heads of flowering elderflowers, can I pick and add more flowers and vodka to the batch I already have?
I also have a batch of elderflowers soaking to make cordial, but i have not added any citric acid, do you know if this is needed ? if so can I add 3 days into soaking?
Kitty: Yep, black elderberries work fine. Just don’t use red elderberries, which only grow in the Pacific Northwest.
Bonjour! We have a black elderberry bush that is blooming now with large pink and ivory flowers and wish to make the liqueur. Can you please advise if this variety will be appropriate? Merci!
kitty
Steve: As much as you want. I fill the jar. And I’ve never “over” flavored liquor with the essence, so you’ll be fine.
Karla: A little bit of stem is fine. But only the smallest bits that the flowers are directly attached to. You need to be pretty diligent on it.
I am soaking the flowers as your recipe suggests. iWhat will happen if I didn’t trim the flowers well enough and there are some stem left in the liqueur ?
How much Elderflower does one use in a quart jar? I filled it to top and covered with Everclear. Can one over flavor the Vodka or Everclear with the Elderflower essence?
Amandine: I’ve never really noticed a difference in taste. Vodka is pretty neutral. Everclear is a tricky one: It’s SO high in alcohol it does extract different elements. But it’s undrinkable in its pure form. That’s why I prefer 100 proof vodka as a compromise. And as for dilution and sugar, yeah, that’s up to your preference.
Do different types of vodkas/high proof alcohols create different tastes?
I’m wondering if it’s worth spending a little extra using my favorite vodka and possibly some Everclear.
Would you then still recommend a water/sugar dilution as you with using only Everclear? Or would it be to suit the crafter’s taste sort of thing?
Ashley: Weird. Almost sounds like you might have used something that was not elderflower. Now the liqueur does darken over time, and will be darker the longer you steep the flowers. But I’ve never had it become astringent or smell bad. If you can still get flowers, try it again steeping only a week.
I tried to make it this year with vodka, taking care to try to trim the flowers as best as possible and letting steep for 4 weeks. The end result is terribly astringent, almost bitter and smells a bit like dead flowers. It’s also the color of brandy. Where did I go wrong? Any help appreciated. I love your blog and this is the first flop I’ve had.
English country lanes are bursting with Elderflower at the moment. thank you so much for this recipe. I make many liqueurs and am delighted to know that Elderflower is just as easy. I particularly love to add a shot of of the liqueur to a gin and tonic with a slice each of lime and cucumber.
I spent all afternoon harvesting flowers — before reading your article. Because the afternoon sun most certainly hit the flowers, do you think they are not worth using?
From New Orleans, where elder is a-plenty.
If you have the nigra variety (so very pretty), you get pink flowers, and a lovely pale pink liqueur. Definitely add some citric acid (rind and juice of a few lemons will do) to deter slimy nastiness.
I have placed elderberry flower effloresces in pure alcohol (95%) and have then diluted it down to 40% (ABV) with purified water. The resulting liquid, with the flower essences dissolved in pure ethanol with their oils, became exquisitely iridescent and translucent. It reminded me of the finest absinthe in dilution with water. However, the flavor is pleasantly floral with a harsh note of chlorophyl. I can’t see myself repeating this experiment.
Claudia: I’ve never done it, but I’ve found the aroma of dried elderflowers kinda stale and unpleasant. If your dried elderflowers smell wonderful, go ahead. But I would not buy them without smelling them first.
Hi, I discovered Elderflower Liqueur this summer and would like to try and make my own. I live in New Orleans and we do not grown Elderflower here. DO you think it would be possible to make the liqueur with dried organic flowers? I have found a source.
Thanks
Claudia
New Orleans
Hi,
It is now well past elderflower season here, and I really wanted to make lelderflower liquer, could I do it with elderflower cordial? My mum always makes lots of the stuff and although its really good, for some reason nobody really drinks it! Could anyone suggest a recipe?
Thanks
Thank you for these directions. I am going to make this tomorrow. I have been making Elderberry tincture for many years, but never Elderflower liqeur. I have a question about the last direction you gave (#7). You said to (make a simple syrup) heat the sugar solution until it dissolves, which is what I do for herbal syrups, but then you say to use the finished product, turning it in the closet or wherever, until the sugar dissolves. I know I will be able to just work through it once I am doing it, but thought I would ask you about this anyway, if you don’t mind.
Thanks so much!
Catharine
Santa Cruz, CA, US
Hi Hank, great recipe. I had seen an old French recipe which included slices of orange and lemon and also the peels, plus Grand Marnier. But I couldn’t find it again so I have started with yours as a base recipe.
I picked so many umbrels that there wasn’t enough of the brandy alcohol to cover them. So I panicked and threw in a pint of Absolut, all I had. That didn’t do it either so I tossed in a bottle of “fruit alcohol” (a cheap kind of grappa used for preserving fruits), and then a cup or so of Grand Marnier. In my quest to use all the elderflowers I had collected I am afraid I wrecked everything with this chemistry experiment.
What do you think? Is this ratafia salvageable, or should it henceforth only be used for “medicinal” (hmmm!) purposes?
Madeline: Yep, mine did that, too. I pulled them off — it is oxidation from the flowers’ contact with air. Nothing to get too worried about, but it might affect the flavor a bit.
I’ve followed your instructions and note that the flowers at the top have gone brown, looks a bit pond-like! Should I remove these or is it all part of the process. The lower flowers have retained their colour.
No, I do not rinse the flowers first, as this washes away a lot of aroma. I choose bugless umbels, or pick the few critters out that I find when I get home. They will die under the alcohol or boiling syrup anyway…
Hank, do you rinse the elderflowers first? If not, how do you keep from making “bug” liqueur, or does it matter? I did a little foraging this morning, and my umbrels are pretty buggy.