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Cold syrups

Elderflower syrup (cold)

In June, the elder covers the hedges with white sun. A few umbels, some honey, water and a lemon, and you bottle a summer drink that smells of innocence and meadow.

The flowers of black elder (Sambucus nigra) are a great classic of European folk pharmacopoeia. Prepared cold, they keep their flavonoids (rutin, quercetin) and their volatile essential oil. This simple, thirst-quenching syrup accompanies both summer drinks (diluted in sparkling water) and the first shivers of autumn (as a warm, not hot, drink with a little lemon).

Ingredients

  • Elderflower umbels

    gathered in dry weather, shaken to remove small insects, not washed (water carries off the scent)

    20 to 25 fresh umbels
  • Cold spring water
    1 L
  • Raw honey

    to dose to your taste

    300 to 400 g
  • Untreated organic lemons
    2 lemons in slices
  • Citric acid (optional)

    improves keeping

    10 g

Equipment

  • •1 large glass jar of 2 L
  • •1 muslin or cloth coffee filter
  • •Sterilised glass bottles for storage

Steps

  1. 1

    Prepare the flowers

    Cut the umbels in the morning in dry, warm weather (open flowers release the most aroma). Shake each umbel to chase off the small insects. Don't wash, water carries off the aromatic pollens. You can remove the large stems (slightly bitter), keeping the flowers and their fine stalks.

    20 min

  2. 2

    Assemble cold

    In the jar, arrange the umbels. Add the lemon slices. Pour in the cold water, then the honey, and stir patiently until dissolved (honey takes time in cold water, that's normal). You can also dissolve the honey in 200 ml of slightly warm water (40 °C max), then add the rest cold.

    10 min

  3. 3

    Macerate cool

    Cover the jar with a clean cloth (and not the airtight lid, it must be allowed to breathe to avoid unwanted alcoholic fermentation). Place in the fridge or in a cool spot (cellar) for 24 to 48 h. Stir 2-3 times a day.

    24 to 48 h

  4. 4

    Strain and bottle

    Strain through a muslin, gently pressing the umbels. If using citric acid, dissolve it in the syrup at this stage. Decant into clean sterilised bottles.

    15 min

Storage

3 months in the fridge. For longer keeping, add the citric acid and store cool. Beyond 6 months, the scent fades.

How to use it

To dilute 1 part syrup to 4 to 5 parts water (still or sparkling). A refreshing summer drink. As a warm drink with a little extra lemon as winter approaches (water at 40 °C max to preserve the aromas and the raw honey).

Health properties

  • Rich in flavonoids (rutin, quercetin), antioxidants
  • A European tradition for supporting respiratory comfort in case of a chill
  • A gentle diaphoretic (encourages sweating, traditional in case of a mild fever)
  • The raw honey brings its enzymes and complex aromas (never to be heated)
  • An excellent thirst-quenching summer drink, an alternative to industrial sodas

These preparations belong to cooking and herbal tradition: they nourish and support, do not “cure” anything and replace no treatment. Ask a doctor or pharmacist before prolonged use, if under treatment, pregnant or breastfeeding, or for a child. Follow the stated storage precautions strictly.

Precautions

DO NOT CONFUSE black elder (Sambucus nigra, edible) with dwarf elder (Sambucus ebulus, herbaceous, toxic): black elder is a shrub 3 to 6 m tall with a trunk; dwarf elder is a plant under 2 m, herbaceous. Green or raw elderberries are toxic (cooking mandatory), but the flowers are not. Not advised for children under 1 year (raw honey).

Sources & tradition

  • · Maria Treben, La santé à la pharmacie du bon Dieu
  • · Couplan & Styner, Guide des plantes sauvages comestibles
  • · Central European folk tradition (Hollerbluetensirup)

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