Before all of the elderflowers begin to brown & wither away for the season, there’s one last thing to make that is a must to see me through the summer, elderflower gin. Let’s face it, when the sun’s out & the weather’s warm, there’s nothing quite as refreshing as good stiff drink to cool down with, especially if it comes infused with one of the most floral & summery flavour of them all! This is a great one to have to hand for any summer gathering in the garden or in my case, my summer gardening companion for those day where tea just won’t cut it.
Infusing any alcohol is almost too easy, the hardest part is patience, it’s so easy that I pondered whether or not to even commit a recipe to the blog for it, but here we are, I couldn’t let the season go by without bringing your attention to the fact that this wondrous, golden elixir exists. Don’t go for top end gin here, they’re great just as they are, stick to a quality mid-range gin for this that won’t break the bank. For a really delightful fruity & floral summer cocktail add ice, 1.5 shots of gin to 125ml cloudy apple juice, top with tonic water & finish with a lemon slice, you can thank me later.
ELDERFLOWER GIN
(makes 500ml)
Ingredients:
- 500ml gin
- 50g caster sugar
- 10 large elderflower heads
Method:
- Begin by gently shaking off any bugs or dirt from the elderflower heads & place them inside a large jar
- Add the caster sugar before pouring over the gin
- Seal the jar & give it a little shake
- Leave the gin to infuse for at least 24 hours, giving it a little shake every now & then to dissolve the sugar
- Once infused the gin will have turned golden in colour
- Strain the gin through a piece of muslin cloth & transfer to a clean, sterilised bottle
- It’s best used within a couple of month from making
