It seems gin has made quite a comeback over the past couple of years, so we thought we’d treat you to a fun, refreshing and boozy recipe to try at home. Our Elderflower Gin Recipe is fragrant, fresh and easy to make. Its the perfect drink for a warm summers day topped up with tonic, a slice of lemon and plenty of ice.
As one of the UK’s prettiest native trees, Elder grows and thrives throughout the British Isles. The blossoms and berries can be used in a wide variety of recipes and are especially tasty when infused in drinks such as gin.
How to make Elderflower Gin
What you’ll need:
- A bottle of gin (pick any size you want but we recommend 500ml)
- 10-20 freshly picked elderflower heads (cleaned with woody stems removed)
- Zest of 1 organic unwaxed lemon
- 4 tbsp caster sugar
- 1 large sterilised jar
We’re lucky that Elder Trees are native to the UK and that we have an abundance of both the blossoms and berries growing throughout our gardens and countrysides. Spend a summer day harvesting the blossoms and you’ll have no excuse to try our recipe.
Whether you head out on a foraging adventure to collect the blooms or have an elder tree growing right in your back garden, spend a summer day harvesting the blooms and you’ll have no excuse not to try this recipe
The best time for harvesting is when the flowers have just started to bloom and are smelling their sweetest. Pick them any later than this and you may be left with a fragrance closer to cat pee than sweet elder.
When you’ve got the blooms together you want to give them a good shake to get rid of any noticeable insects or debris. From here, continue to clean the blooms removing the woody stems and remaining leaves and other greenery.
Once this is done you are ready to start infusing!
What to do next:
1. First, you want to start by sterilising your glass jar. To do this, wash in hot soapy water then rinse. While they’re still wet place them on a baking tray and put in a preheated oven for 15 minutes.
2. Next, empty the contents of the gin bottle into the jar and all the sugar. Put the lid back on a give it a good shake until all the sugar has dissolved.
3. Once the sugar has dissolved, reopen the jar and add your elderflower blooms and lemon zest. Ideally, you to make sure that you’ve only added the flowers (no stems or green bits as these are bitter).
4. Stir the mixture and make sure that all the flowers are being soaked by the gin. Any flowers floating about the gin will oxidise and turn brown. The oxidisation may affect the final colour of your gin but won’t affect the flavour.
5. Seal the jar back up and place it in a cool, dark area where the gin can be left to infuse. Depending on how strong you want the flavour is how long you should steep the liquid for. This can range from 24 hours for a light flavour and a full 7 days for a more intense flavour.
6. Gently stir the mixture every couple of days to make sure all the flowers are still being soaked and keep the infusing process going.
7. When you feel like the gin has infused for long enough, it’s time to strain it. Take a clean tea towel or muslin cloth and put over the top of a jug. Pour your gin through to strain out any of the blooms and lemon zest pieces. Dispose of the leftover bits in the tea towel.
8. Your gin is now ready to bottle! Following the same steps above, sterilise yourself a glass bottle and pour in your fresh batch of tasty elderflower gin.
9. Finally, it’s time to drink! Your gin should technically last for years but to keep it as fresh as possible, we recommend storing it in a cool dark place or even in the freezer to keep it extra cool.
Not only is this a home project you can enjoy yourself but it’s a little something that can make a nice gift for friends and family. The extra minimal effort adds so much more meaning and loved ones will cherish a homemade small-batch gin in a nicely labelled bottle.
If drinking isn’t your thing and you’d prefer something that’s a little more every day then you’re going to love our Elderflower Cordial Recipe. A refreshing, non-alcoholic drink that can be enjoyed by the whole family.
Tried one of our recipes? We’d love to see how it turned out. Get in touch on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter and tag us in your photos!
