GeorgeSalt
Regular.
This recipe has worked out so well I need to share.. the cordial is based on the recipe in Darina Allen's Forgotten Skills of Cooking (p.43) and the wine recipe is my own based on a discussion on what to do with excess cordial.
For the cordial..
1lb (450g) elderberries
1lb (450g) sugar per pint of juice
1 lemon
Multiply up the ingredients to match the available elderberries. You're going to need about a pint-and-a-half of cordial per gallon of wine.
Strip the elderberries, rinse and place in a large saucepan. Just cover the berries with cold water. Add the zest of the lemon to the berries. Bring to the boil and simmer until the berries are soft (20-30 minutes).
Give them a light mash with a potato masher and strain through a jam/jelly muslin. Measure the juice and return to the pan. A 1lb sugar for every pint of juice and the juice of the lemon. Bring to the boil until the sugar dissolves and simmer for 10 minutes.
Bottle into sterilised bottles and seal. It can be diluted as a cordial/squash, or poured over icecream or into yoghurt. It will keep (seemingly forever) in the fridge, and if you've been good at sterilising and get a good sel on the bottle it will also keep well unrefrigerated. This wine recipe developed because my bottles were compromised and I needed a recipe that would use-up the cordial after I;s strained and re-boiled the bottles I didn't fancy the look of. I do hope the mould isn't a critical part of the recipe.
For the wine..
70cl elderberry cordial (one bottle)
125g sugar
Supermarket red grape juice to the gallon
General purpose red wine yeast
Ferment as the recipe suggests, starting with the cordial, sugar, 3 litres of the grape juice and the yeast. Top-up with grape juice once the initial ferment dies down. Rack once and allow to mature in bulk for 3-4 months before racking and bottling. This wine is a fruity red and drinkable almost immediately but will improve with keeping.
Dates on my notes.. started 5th May, racked 23rd May, racked and stablised 6th September and bottled three or four days later. You could omit the stop stage if required, it is very drinkable whilst young.
I've also made a batch using white grape juice but I can see no difference in colour between the two. This batch is still maturing in bulk and will be bottled soon. I've been reminded of this as I've just opened a bottle to put a glass into the lamb shanks cooking on the top of the woodburner for dinner tonight. The rest of the bottle will be drunk to accompany it.
For the cordial..
1lb (450g) elderberries
1lb (450g) sugar per pint of juice
1 lemon
Multiply up the ingredients to match the available elderberries. You're going to need about a pint-and-a-half of cordial per gallon of wine.
Strip the elderberries, rinse and place in a large saucepan. Just cover the berries with cold water. Add the zest of the lemon to the berries. Bring to the boil and simmer until the berries are soft (20-30 minutes).
Give them a light mash with a potato masher and strain through a jam/jelly muslin. Measure the juice and return to the pan. A 1lb sugar for every pint of juice and the juice of the lemon. Bring to the boil until the sugar dissolves and simmer for 10 minutes.
Bottle into sterilised bottles and seal. It can be diluted as a cordial/squash, or poured over icecream or into yoghurt. It will keep (seemingly forever) in the fridge, and if you've been good at sterilising and get a good sel on the bottle it will also keep well unrefrigerated. This wine recipe developed because my bottles were compromised and I needed a recipe that would use-up the cordial after I;s strained and re-boiled the bottles I didn't fancy the look of. I do hope the mould isn't a critical part of the recipe.
For the wine..
70cl elderberry cordial (one bottle)
125g sugar
Supermarket red grape juice to the gallon
General purpose red wine yeast
Ferment as the recipe suggests, starting with the cordial, sugar, 3 litres of the grape juice and the yeast. Top-up with grape juice once the initial ferment dies down. Rack once and allow to mature in bulk for 3-4 months before racking and bottling. This wine is a fruity red and drinkable almost immediately but will improve with keeping.
Dates on my notes.. started 5th May, racked 23rd May, racked and stablised 6th September and bottled three or four days later. You could omit the stop stage if required, it is very drinkable whilst young.
I've also made a batch using white grape juice but I can see no difference in colour between the two. This batch is still maturing in bulk and will be bottled soon. I've been reminded of this as I've just opened a bottle to put a glass into the lamb shanks cooking on the top of the woodburner for dinner tonight. The rest of the bottle will be drunk to accompany it.
