There are many recipes for elderflower cordial out there and, as it turns out, it really isn't rocket science. The basic ingredients are the same - elderflowers, lemons, sugar and water - and the trick is to pick the flowers when they've just opened so as to capture that sweet, fresh flavour of summer. I was going to go for a no-cook-just-add-boiling water recipe until I read that elderflowers contain alkaloids (naturally occurring chemical compounds) which are slightly toxic but which are destroyed during cooking. So boiling it was and, with an orange chucked into the mix (as suggested by a friend of mine), the aroma was fantastic.
I don't mind a bit of instant gratification every now and then, so it almost killed me to have to leave everything standing in the pot for 48 hours before straining the contents and having a proper taste. But it was worth it. And then the experimenting began. In the end I settled for elderflower cordial, lemonade and a dash of Creme de Cassis. Very refreshing for a hot and sunny day.
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