Elderflower Champagne

The elderflowers are here but going soon so don't miss this opportunity to make a this refreshing and fun summer drink.

Elder flowers in Wilsons' Orchard

Ingredients:

• 4 litres of hot water
• 2 litres of cold water (you may not use it all)
• 700g sugar
• Juice and zest of 4 lemons
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• About 15 elderflower heads, in full bloom
• A pinch of dried yeast (you may not need this)

Method:

1. Put the hot water and sugar into a large container (a clean brewing bucket) and stir until the sugar dissolves, then top up with cold water so you have 6 litres of liquid in total.

2. Add the lemon juice and zest, the vinegar and the flower (but not stems) and stir gently.

3. Cover with clean muslin and leave to ferment in a cool, airy place for a couple of days. Check the brew after 2 days, if it's not becoming a foamy and obviously beginning to ferment, add a pinch of yeast otherwise add nothing.

4. Leave the mixture to ferment, covered with muslin, for another four days. Strain the mixture through a sieve lined with muslin and put into sterilised strong glass bottles with champagne stoppers (available from home-brewing suppliers) or Grolsch-style stoppers, or sterilized screw-top plastic bottles  that had a fizzy drink in them originally (a lot of pressure can build up inside as the fermenting brew produces carbon dioxide, so strong bottles and seals are essential).

5. Seal and leave to ferment in the bottles for at least a week before serving, chilled. The champagne should keep in the bottles for several months. Store in a cool, dry place.