I'm back! Elderflower Champagne and Hawthorne Brandy Reviews

Well, it's been a year since I last posted and what a year it's been.
My soap making enterprise took off brilliantly so most of my attention was on that (see my other blog www.melusinesoap.blogspot.com) and my daughter flourished into a toddler with boundless energy!
I'm also expecting my 2nd child in October, so I've slowed things down on the soap making front, which has resulted in more time for me to cook and experiment in the kitchen. So look out for some interesting posts coming up.

Now, you may remember my last post was all about making Hawthorne brandy and elderflower champagne.
Then, you'll be pleased to hear that both drinks turned out to be complete successes.

Let's start with the elderflower.
We honestly couldn't believe how lovely it was, considering how easy it was to make. And it packed a lot of fizz too!
Here's a photo of the finished product, garnished with a Borage flower and sprig of mint. Such a summery, fun drink.

Needless to say, we are making more (much more!) this year, but have decided to tone down the sugar content to 1kg per batch due to the almost overpowering sweetness of last years. But that's just a personal preference.

Now for a completely different beast: the Hawthorne brandy.
This we had to keep for 3 months and then strained off the flowers just before Yule. We tried a bit then, but it tasted distinctively 'hedgy' and potent! Not unpleasant, but not nice either!
So we left it to mature for a bit longer and tried it again on May Day.
I'm very pleased to say that it had vastly improved, was smooth and more 'blossomy' rather than 'hedgy'! Not much is needed though, it's very strong!
Obviously I can't drink right now due to my pregnancy, but I do believe that this Hawthorne brandy would go really well with ginger ale. Maybe something to try after the new baby arrives? ...

Hawthorn Brandy and Solstice Elderflower champagne...

Over the last couple of months, my husband and I have been walking along our local hedgerows and it inspired us to try out making some 'brews'!

During the end of May, we collected some hawthorn blossoms and made hawthorn brandy.  Ideally we should have collected the flowers earlier as they were just about to go over.  I think we caught them in time though.

We collected enough to fill one large kilner jar and poured in some cheap and nasty brandy:

Filling the jar with the blossoms

Pouring in the brandy

We then added some sugar...

 The brew with the sugar settled on the top

We the sealed it up, gave it a good shake and now it's time to leave it for 3 months, giving it a shake once a day...

I'm looking forward to opening it and trying it for the first time (I hope its nice and not like paint stripper!)  I'll post another blog when it's been tested to let you know how it turned out!

For Litha, we tried making some elderflower champagne.  We got the following recipe from www.goddessandgreenman.co.uk...

Elderflower Champagne

A traditional favourite, Elderflowers peak at Midsummer. Pick them in the fullness of a sunny day, ideally on Midsummer's Day. The Elder is sacred to the Mother Goddess and is often called the Witch's Tree, the Elder Mother, or Queen of the Trees. It is protective with wonderful healing properties. It aids transformation, change and renewal, and we are at a major turning point in the Wheel of the Year, so the gift of Elderflowers is welcome.


Ingredients:

8 litres water

1.25 kg sugar

8 large elderflower heads

4 lemons

4 tablespoons mild white wine vinegar

Do use screw top bottles - large plastic bottles used for squash etc are perfect. This stuff will fizz and if not bottled tightly it can explode! I keep mine in the garden so should the worst occur it isn't going to make a mess all over the kitchen or larder... Before you begin make sure the elderflowers are clean - no little wandering insects or bugs.

Boil the water and dissolve the sugar into it (Fairtrade is good)

When the water is cool, add the elderflowers, juice of two of the lemons and slices of the other two, plus the vinegar.

Cover with a clean cloth and leave for a day.

Strain through a fine sieve or piece of muslin, carefully squeezing the flowers to extract as much flavour as possible.

Store in clean screw top bottles.

Leave well alone for 10 days or so. Drink within a month. Enjoy and give thanks to the Spirit of Elder.

Well, our bottles are currently hidden in a shady part of the garden and will be opened in 10 days.  I'm really REALLY looking forward to trying the finished product because it tasted beautiful after just a day of brewing in the pans!  It's so easy to make, so if you hurry, you might be able to catch the elderflowers before they go over to make your own champagne!