Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Experimental Elderflower Cordial

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • #16
    Your Bobbly-ness, I've been given a bag of Elderflowers from a chap at work. Basically just the flowers. I don't suppose you know how the florets conver into volume of flowers?

    oops! i amended your post instead of replying to it

    sorry!
    Last edited by lockwood1956; 29-06-2010, 10:07 PM.
    Dutch Gunderson: Who are you and how did you get in here?
    Frank Drebin: I'm a locksmith. And, I'm a locksmith.
    -Police Squad

    Comment


    • #17
      Originally posted by David View Post
      All I need to know is how much of your recipe that you add as a top up per gall?
      it is a very sugar rich medium, and so it takes very little to take a dry wine from 0.990 to 1.000 which enhances the bouquet and richens the brew (your hydrometer is your friend) as are your nostrils and taste buds
      Last edited by lockwood1956; 29-06-2010, 10:08 PM.
      N.G.W.B.J.
      Member of 5 Towns Wine and Beer Makers Society (Yorkshire's newest)
      Wine, mead and beer maker

      Comment


      • #18
        Originally posted by David View Post
        All I need to know is how much of your recipe that you add as a top up per gall?

        as medium wine (which is ideal) take the SG to 1.000 to 1.008 with the cordial
        N.G.W.B.J.
        Member of 5 Towns Wine and Beer Makers Society (Yorkshire's newest)
        Wine, mead and beer maker

        Comment


        • #19
          i did this last year nad then just made a wine no1 with 1 litre of the cordial rather than sugar. it worked very well. have made 16 ltr this year and have some more flowers as they are there. will try davids idea of adding some to apple juice rather than water
          http://www.iecomputing.co.uk
          http://www.volksfling.co.uk

          Comment


          • #20
            Originally posted by David View Post
            All I need to know is how much of your recipe that you add as a top up per gall?
            I normally take a finished wine to 1.004 on the hydrometer. this gives me a wine I like to drink, doesn't always score well in medium classes, some judges feel this is too dry for medium.
            N.G.W.B.J.
            Member of 5 Towns Wine and Beer Makers Society (Yorkshire's newest)
            Wine, mead and beer maker

            Comment


            • #21
              Originally posted by koomber View Post
              I've been given a bag of Elderflowers from a chap at work. Basically just the flowers. I don't suppose you know how the florets conver into volume of flowers?

              Last time I checked:

              Approx 100 'average' flower heads to a kilo.

              Approx. ⅔ by weight of flower heads was florets.

              A pint of gently pressed down florets weighed approx 100g/4ozs (and when dried weighed 25g/1oz - might still reduce a tad more - and measured half a pint).

              I recorded that information so I could simply weigh a bag of flower heads and estimate whether I'd picked enough to yield the number of pints of florets required, plus being able to compare the amount of elderflowers in wine (pints of florets in recipes) with elderflower cordial (numbers of flower heads in recipes).
              Last edited by David; 14-06-2011, 05:51 PM.
              My Brewlist@Jan2011

              Comment


              • #22
                Hmmm. I got about 500g of flowers (removed them from the greenery). I plumped for 2L of water with them...

                How wrong am I?
                Dutch Gunderson: Who are you and how did you get in here?
                Frank Drebin: I'm a locksmith. And, I'm a locksmith.
                -Police Squad

                Comment


                • #23
                  Originally posted by koomber View Post
                  Hmmm. I got about 500g of flowers (removed them from the greenery). I plumped for 2L of water with them...

                  How wrong am I?
                  Estimated from info in my last post:

                  W.I. recipe - 5.33 flower heads/pint of cordial.
                  Bob - 5.22 (but probably more as his were large rather than 'average').
                  koomber - 47.38 (assuming you've not added any sugar and bulked up that 2 litres).


                  P.S. If your'e going to pasteurise don't forget to add some acid.
                  Last edited by David; 03-07-2010, 01:38 PM.
                  My Brewlist@Jan2011

                  Comment


                  • #24
                    Couple of clarification questions.

                    How hot should this be when bottled - can I wait until cool into sterilised bottles?
                    How long will this store in a cupboard?
                    Has anyone tried adding sulphite? Wuold this prolong cupboard storage?
                    Simon
                    "I can certainly see that you know your wine. Most of the guests who stay here wouldn't know the difference between Bordeaux and Claret." - Basil Fawlty

                    Comment


                    • #25
                      Originally posted by SiSandrine View Post
                      Couple of clarification questions.

                      How hot should this be when bottled - can I wait until cool into sterilised bottles?
                      How long will this store in a cupboard?
                      Has anyone tried adding sulphite? Wuold this prolong cupboard storage?
                      I pasteurise - Have a look at post #27 of this thread http://www.winesathome.co.uk/forum/s...?t=4493&page=4 + this link http://www.ciderworkshop.com/juicepasteurising.html (I think they have the bottle fill levels far too low), and I've used juices done that way over 3 years later.

                      A more 'normal' method from most preserving books is to pour into bottles (sterilised in the oven/microwave) whilst everything's still hot, but I don't know how long they will last for.

                      I've never cold bottled, but seem to recall that campden tablets were developed (1920's?) to assist with preserving (and not for winemaking?), so it might be possible.

                      And there's always freezing.
                      My Brewlist@Jan2011

                      Comment


                      • #26
                        Thanks David.

                        In the end I plumped for pouring into sterilised glass bottles as hot as I dared (which was pretty hot). If I had being doing jam I would have put it in at boiling but was unsure with wine bottles. I will store some in the cupboard and decant some into plastic for freezing probably tonight or tomorrow.
                        Simon
                        "I can certainly see that you know your wine. Most of the guests who stay here wouldn't know the difference between Bordeaux and Claret." - Basil Fawlty

                        Comment


                        • #27
                          Just as a matter of interest. In Europe, mainly Austria and Germany, you can buy a liqueur made from Elderflowers. It's called Hollunder Liquor and it smells and tastes as you would expect. Not bad but not special, maybe it's made for medicinal purposes, colds etc.

                          Regards to all, Winemanden.

                          Comment


                          • #28
                            Elderflower cordial from dried flowers

                            I use a recipe for cordial from dried flowers and just make up a couple of bottles at a time.

                            It would be great if any of you could help to improve this recipe.

                            Into a bowl
                            the zest of 2-3 lemons
                            4 teaspoons of dried flowers
                            pour over 1.5 litres of boiled and still hot water
                            cover with cling film and leave overnight

                            next day
                            strain juice into saucepan and discard zest etc
                            add 1 camden tablet
                            500grms sugar
                            juice the lemons and add juice
                            if used 2 lemons then add 1 tsp citric acid
                            bring to the boil disolving the sugar and camden tablet
                            skim off any scum that rises to the surface
                            simmer for 10mins
                            leave to cool and bottle in sterilised bottles.

                            Any further input would be most appreciated.

                            Malcolm
                            Malc

                            Comment

                            Working...
                            X