Lavender ‘Champagne ‘

[Lilyflower]

I have found a traditional recipe for Lavender ‘Champagne’:

40 Lavendef flowers
3 3/4 pints of cold boiled water
11oz sugar
4oz sultanas, finely chopped
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
Juice of 1 lemon

Is this recipe non-alcoholic? If so, if I added champagne yeast would it make it alcoholic or is it not as simple as that?
As I’m new to this, starting with simple recipes, have tried kits but want to experiment a bit.
Any advice would be great, but keep it simple, I’m still learning!
Thank you.

 

[kelper]

My mum used to make elderflower champagne with a simple recipe like that; I think wild flowers carry enough natural yeasts to start a fermentation. She bottled it with a little sugar and it seemed quite boozy and tasted delicious. I think it's a great idea!

 

[Derekmr]

As mentioned there may be enough yeast to get it going but I think I'd add flowers to water with a campden tab to kill off any bad things, then add the rest and some yeast the day after,
Go for it, let us know how it turns out.

 

[kelper]

Would you boil the flowers? I would certainly dissolve the sugar in hot water. And maybe steep the flowers in water overnight?

 

[Derekmr]

Dont think I would as may spoil flavour,
Maybe pour over boiling water and cool, then add campden.

 

[An Ankoù]

Bof. To answer your first question, yes, it's alcoholic. Adding champagne yeast won't make it more alcoholic, it'll just ensure that it doesn't taste as horrible as it might if some dodgy natural yeast had got hold of it.

 

[kelper]

My sister found my mum's recipe!

I think it needs about three gallons of flowers!

 

[Lilyflower]

Thank you for all your replies ! I will certainly update you of the update,just waiting for Lavender to come into season

 

[Lilyflower]

My sister found my mum's recipe!

View attachment 18346

I think it needs about three gallons of flowers!

We need to keep these old recipes alive!

 

[kelper]

Ts = tablespoon!

 

[crayfisher]

If you were to use 3 gallons of elderflowers, it would taste very bad, try 5-7 'sprigs/heads' for 8 pints of water.

 

[Wynott]

I have found a traditional recipe for Lavender ‘Champagne’:

40 Lavendef flowers
3 3/4 pints of cold boiled water
11oz sugar
4oz sultanas, finely chopped
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
Juice of 1 lemon

Hi, I just spotted this, and am intrigued. Do you know if it means 40 little individual flowers - there are just about that many left on my plant. If so, I might have a go! If it means the whole heads, I'll wait until next year!

 

[Lilyflower]

I haven’t tried this recipe yet, been growing lavender this year especially to try it but I was going to try 40 lavender heads

 

[An Ankoù]

This all sounds very interesting, but what's a lavender flower? Is it each individual flower or is it a sprig of lavender?

 

[Wynott]

I'll join you - I've thrown 40 little heads and a lemon into a big pot of water. Will let it steep for a couple of days and then put the rest in. Let's see what happens...

 

[Wynott]

I haven’t tried this recipe yet, been growing lavender this year especially to try it but I was going to try 40 lavender heads

Well, I have a bottle of sweet, fizzy, 'champagne' but I think the hot weather got to me, putting in 40 individual flowers didn't give it the flavour, I should have used the whole heads, and of course they are dry now...oh well, next year! Thanks for the recipe though.