Like sipping spring! Slightly sweet with a hint of floral + added bubbly make these the perfect springtime cocktail! This recipe starts with a homemade honey-sweetened cordial with infused-lemon + bubbly of choice (even works great with club soda!). Perfect any time of the day!
Elderflowers stem from a beautiful tree that flowers in the spring + come summer they turn into beautiful little berries the have multiple uses + benefits!!
Elderflowers are in bloom all around us! When we first moved here I had no idea the bounty + beauty that surrounds us. As my passion for healthy living has increased over the years I have become more interested in foraging + using what God has given us.
I definitely have my neighbor to thank for teaching me about all the medicinals that grow all around our properties! A while back she had a group of us ladies over to make an elderberry tincture hosted by an herbalist friend of hers. I had no idea what a tincture was at the time!
She had everything set up for us and we threw all these spices + herbs + elderberries + some alcohol to keep everything fresh! We were told to let everything sit for a period of time (I can’t remember how long) + then to strain everything. She told us to sip on it when we felt a little bug coming on. I found out that elderflowers were an antiviral! Well, it turns out the flowers are as well!
Elderflower’s Amazing Properties
Elderflowers not only have antiviral + antibacterial properties they also contain antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, diuretic, and laxative properties + may help with allergies! Amazing! It even can help lower blood sugar (check out my blog post on this for more tips on managing blood sugar)! Who knew a lovely springtime cocktail could pack such a medicinal punch (no pun intended;))!
If you don’t have Elderflowers growing near you or its not the right season (although I highly recommend doing a little hunting to see if there might be some trees near you that you can forage)-you can always use a store-bought Elderflower Cordial (this one is on Amazon).
The season for is winding down for Elderflowers this year. The berries are starting to form getting ready for the beautiful berries to make there way into the world. I have two big bags in the freezer of these beautiful flowers (they freeze well) stocked up for rainy winter day…if they last that long;).
I have seen many recipes for cordial online but all of them called for sugar. I decided to make mine with just honey + it turned out great! I added some lemon and of course the elderflowers. This sits for 24 hours and you have a lovely cordial that you can add to so many things! For this recipe, I added some prosecco + made mimosas! They were a hit! I also enjoyed this with some ice + club soda!
There are so many other ways you can use cordial…in cupcakes, to make a jam or a syrup to top fresh blueberry pancakes! It still amazing to me how God placed all these beautiful + tasty plants around us that actually help heal us! He is amazing!!
Note: Elderflower leaves, twigs, and roots are toxic and can lead to the build-up of poisonous cyanide in the body. All but the black elderberries are toxic when eaten raw, so you should cook them before using. It is even a good idea to cook the black elderberries before use because they can cause nausea+ other gastrointestinal complaints.
From personal experience, I will say that the berries cause me nausea; however, I have had NO problem with the flowers, even when the stems are soaked with the flowers in the cordial (and I’ve been drinking a lot of it lately;)).
Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” -Genesis 29-30 NIV
Source:
https://www.herbwisdom.com/herb-elderflower.html
Honey-Sweetened Elderflower Mimosas
Ingredients
Elderflower Cordial
- 2 heaping cups fresh elderflowers (whole heads of flowers)
- 4 cups water
- 1 cup honey
- 1 whole lemon (preferably organic)
Elderflower Mimosas
- 1 recipe elderflower cordial
- 1 bottle champagne, prosecco, club soda or bubbly of choice!
Instructions
Elderflower Cordial
- Cut off leafy stems from elderflowers. Wash thoroughly for dirt + bugs.*
- Heat water + honey in a 4 quart saucepan over medium high-heat until honey dissolves in water (this doesn't take very long). Remove from heat.
- Place cut elderflowers, flower side-down in saucepan. Push flowers down to make sure submerged in water.
- Wash + slice lemon into thin slices and push them down to submerge them in the water with elderflowers.
- Place lid on pot and let sit in a safe place for 24 hours (I did a little less and it was still good).
- Strain mixtures through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl + then pour into your favorite pitcher.
- Store leftover is a sterilized mason jar in the fridge.
Elderflower Mimosas
- Pour elderflower cordial into a champagne or other glass of choice + fill about two-thirds full. Top with champagne, prosecco, club soda or bubbly of choice!
- Enjoy!
I didn’t realize elderflowers would freeze well — thanks! I dried mine. Do you know how much dried I should use for this? Sounds delicious!
I found a recipe that had you using 1/4 cup of dried for 2 cups of water. This recipe calls for 4 cups of water so I would guess a 1/2 cup of dried would be a good amount. You might want to play around and see what works best:). Thanks Barb:).
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