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Elderflower season is an exciting but short lived time. Every year I try to find some way to preserve the elderflower harvest so that I can enjoy them for a longer period of time. I’ve been wanting to try making elderflower liqueur (also known as St. Germain) for some time now. This year the local elder trees were absolutely loaded with elderflowers, so I decided to make this delicious elderflower liqueur!
Harvesting Elderflowers
Elderflowers appear before elderberries, and they arrive anytime between May through July, depending on your location and climate.
It’s important to consider that elderflowers turn into elderberries, so taking them will mean fewer berries on the tree. This usually isn’t an issue as elder trees are widespread and very prolific.
Regardless, do try and only take a few flowers from each tree if possible.
Read my post on foraging elderflowers and elderberries to learn more.
Insects love elderflowers, so be sure to give the flowers a few shakes before using to remove them. It also helps to let them sit for an hour or two outside to let any remaining bugs vacate.
The leaves, stems, seeds, and unripe berries of elder are toxic when consumed in large amounts, so remember that when making any kind of elderflower or elderberry preparation.
How to Make Elderflower Liqueur
Depending on the size of the elderflowers you collect, you will need about 20-30 whole flower heads for this liqueur recipe.
Although it’s a bit labor intensive, it’s important to cut the flowers off with as little stem as possible attached. This is because the stems contain a toxic compound and can cause stomach upset in large amounts in some people.
If you don’t have access to fresh elderflowers, dried elderflowers can also be used, just use about half as much as fresh.
Fill a quart jar with the elderflowers, leaving an inch or two of space at the top.
Pour a 750ml bottle of vodka over the elderflowers, then top the jar with lemon slices to keep the flowers submerged under the vodka.
Cover the jar with a lid and put it in a cool and dark place to infuse for 2-4 weeks.
When ready to use, strain out the elderflowers with a fine mesh sieve, then add the optional honey or sugar and stir well or shake to combine.
The elderflower liqueur can be consumed right away, or aged longer if desired. It will keep indefinitely!
Elderflower Liqueur co*cktail Recipes
Can I tell you how amazing this elderflower liqueur is? It is so incredibly good, and it makes a great summer co*cktail! I like to simply combine it with some sparkling mineral water, and in my opinion that’s all you really need.
If you want to get more fancy than that, here are some amazing sounding elderflower liqueur co*cktail recipes to try:
St-Germain is the world's first elderflower liqueur, made with hand-picked elderflower petals macerated in grape neutral spirit within 48 hours of being picked, sweetened with 180g sugar per litre, presented in its distinctive Belle Epoque-style bottle.
How long does St‑Germain last? As a natural liqueur made with fresh flowers, the color may slowly change over time due to natural oxidation (caused by light and air). We recommend that you consume St~Germain liqueur within 6 months after opening, and keep your bottle in a dry, cool space and away from bright light.
St‑Germain is a French liqueur made with fresh elderflowers, hand-picked once a year in the late spring. To accomplish its exquisitely natural flavor, every bottle of St‑Germain contains up to 1,000 of the very best elderflower blossoms, resulting in a finely crafted, perfectly balanced and refined liqueur.
St-Germain is an elderflower liqueur. It is made using the petals of Sambucus nigra from the Savoie region in France, and each bottle is numbered with the year the petals were collected.
St‑Germain is made using a natural infusion of hand-picked elderflowers. St‑Germain gets its signature golden hue from pollen and contains no artificial coloring or flavoring.
An extract of the flower is used to make medicine. Elderflower is used for swollen sinuses (sinusitis), colds, influenza (flu), swine flu, bronchitis, diabetes, and constipation. It is also used to increase urine production (as a diuretic), to increase sweating (as a diaphoretic), and to stop bleeding.
The flavor is just sweet enough and adds a little extra something to a co*cktail. Tastes good enough to drink straight if you absolutely wanted to. Great in a nice gin co*cktail. I love adding elderflower liquor to co*cktails.
St-Germain is considered a cordial, which is a sweetened distilled spirit that's typically high in sugar. With 20% alcohol by volume (ABV), St-Germain also contains notes of pear, citrus and tropical fruits, according to the company.
No, St.Germain does not “go bad.” The liqueur is made with fruit eaux-de-vie, which are distilled and then aged in oak casks. After the aging process is complete, the liqueur is bottled and does not require refrigeration. Because liquor does not spoil, it loses its flavor and potency over time.
According to the popular calorie tracking app and website, MyFitnessPal.com, there are about 11 grams of sugar and 103 calories in a 1 ounce serving of St. Germain.
As such, it doesn't just lend a sugary base to your co*cktail but a burst of flowered and fruit-froward flavor. As St-Germain itself details it, this liqueur has 50% of the sugar that you'd find in similar liqueurs, making it a smart but not too saccharine addition.
You can substitute St-Germain with Giffard Fleur de Sureau Sauvage, St.Elder, and RoomeR Elderflower Aperitif. St Germain's delicately sweet, floral profile pairs well with lighter, citrus spirits like white wine, champagne, gin and vodka.
Saint-Germain-en-Laye is generally considered safe even at night. The town is well-lit with an active presence of patrolling police, which helps to enhance safety.
The new club was named Paris Saint-Germain Football Club, with the “Saint-Germain” part of the name coming from the suburb of Paris where Stade Saint-Germain was based. The name “Paris” was added to emphasize the club's location in the French capital.
Germain Elderflower Liqueur with fresh cucumber and lime juice, gin, rosemary simple syrup and orange bitters. It's one of my most sought after co*cktails. Get this, you can even freeze it and use it to layer a shot. The newbies in the co*cktail world 9–10 will start out mixing co*cktails with St.
elderflowers are cis-rose oxide, nerol oxide, hotrienol, and nonanal. Other compounds that contribute to the floral odour include linalool and α-terpineol, whereas hexanal and (Z)-3-hexenol add grassy odours.
Elderflower tea is high in Vitamin C. Just like you take the elderberry syrup at the first sign of a cold, elderflower tea can be used for sinuses, colds, and the flu. Make sure you talk to your physician and see if it's a good choice based on your personal health condition. Elderflower tea is very easy to make.
Light and aromatic, our Elderflower wine is made from fluffy wild flowers from the Sidlaw hills. Blossoms are hand picked, stripped, and pressed by bonny maidens and swarthy blokes, occasionally from afar. A beautifully light, fragrant, summery, white wine.
Introduction: My name is Dan Stracke, I am a homely, gleaming, glamorous, inquisitive, homely, gorgeous, light person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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