Elderflower Champagne (5L batch)
Takes 21 days
Serves 15
Ingredients
- 7 –8 large fresh elderflower heads
- 500 g white granulated sugar
- 4.4 litres water
- 1 large organic lemon juice + peel
- 1½ tsp apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar
- 1.25 –1.5g Lalvin EC-1118 champagne yeast about ¼ sachet
Instructions
Phase 1: Floral steep (Days 1–3)
- First, gently snip the elderflower blossoms away from the thicker green stems — keep as much of the delicate flower as possible.
- Make a simple syrup by dissolving the sugar in 1 litre of boiling water. Leave to cool. Pour this into a clean 5-litre bucket or large fermentation jar.
- Top up with the remaining 3.4 litres of cold water, then stir in the lemon juice, lemon peel, vinegar, and elderflowers.
- Cover loosely and leave at room temperature for 48 hours. Give it a gentle stir once a day to keep everything happy and submerged.
Phase 2: Strain & add yeast (Day 3)
- Strain the liquid through a fine sieve or muslin cloth into a clean, sanitised fermentation vessel.
- To activate the yeast, dissolve 1.25g in about 20ml of lukewarm water (35–37°C). Leave for 20 minutes until slightly foamy.
- Pour the yeast into your strained elderflower liquid, fit an airlock or fermentation lid, and you’re off. Alternately you can leave the top open and cover with a tightly fitted muslin to stop insects entering.
Phase 3: Primary fermentation (5–7 days)
- Leave in a cool, dark place and let nature do its thing.
- You’re looking for the bubbles to slow right down — once it’s down to less than one bubble every few minutes, fermentation is complete.
Phase 4: Bottling & priming – developing bubbles!
- Carefully siphon the liquid into a clean bucket or jar, leaving the sediment behind.
- Bottle immediately into strong flip-top bottles or champagne bottles.
- Leave at room temperature for 3 days to 2 weeks to carbonate, ensure to burp or release the gas build up every day. To do this simply open the lid and close. Once you are happy with the degree of bubbles and flavour simple store in the fridge.
