Recipe for elderflower syrup

It’s that time of the year when the sweet smell of elderflowers is in the air as the elder trees bloom. Called bazga in Croatian, this tree is more like a large, tall bush, and the flowers appear in large clusters of delicate white flowers.

The flowers are used to make a syrup, and so are the small dark berries which appear at the end of summer. But I prefer making it with the flowers – diluted with water this is one of my favourite drinks. The delicate and subtle smell and taste of the elderflower is hard to describe, but there’s nothing else like it.

So this week I made 9 litres of elderflower syrup, hoping this will be enough to last for the months to come. It’s especially refreshing mixed with fizzy water. Sometimes if I feel like I’m coming down with a cold, I like to pour the syrup in a cup of hot water and drink it hot!

The syrup is super easy to make! I used the recipe my grandmother had given me and I had saved in a notebook. Here it is:

Ingredients:

30 heads of elderflower

3 kg of sugar

3 litres of water

50 g of citric acid

Method:

Pick large heads of elderflower where all the buds have opened. Some can be infested with small insects so avoid those. Shake off any flies or insects and place the flowers in a large bowl or pot. Pour in 3 litres of water, cover and let stand for 24 hours.

The next day, remove the flowers and strain the liquid into a large pot with a five-litre capacity. Use a fine sieve to filter the water, or a dishcloth.

Heat the liquid until it is hot but not boiling. Add the sugar and citric acid and stir until these completely dissolve.

Pour the liquid into glass bottles and seal.

Yields about 4.5 litres.