Elderflower Bubbly

Now is the time of year when the hedgerows are filled with a glut of fragrant elderflowers. One of England’s finest flora, its subtle perfume and taste are hard to beat, and its abundance almost legendary. More to the point, with its proliferation along our roads and in our fields, it’s free!

At our little Cotswold farm, situated just outside of the market town of Burford, our hedgerows are overrun with elderflower blossoms, the heady aroma filling the fields with the scent of early summer. Because all the land on our farm is certified organic, everything we grow carries the Soil Association stamp of approval, and our elderflower liqueur is no exception.

We harvest our elderflowers at the beginning of June, when the elderflowers have been in the sunshine for a week or two. We carefully select the finest blossoms to turn into our delicious liqueur so that we can be sure we are using the best of organic ingredients. The elderflower heads are steeped in organic lemon juice, cane sugar & spring water just like a traditional cordial, then an organic grain spirit is added to transform the cordial mixture into liqueur. Pure alchemy.

Because the taste of elderflower is so delicate, it’s best paired with ingredients that don’t overpower the flavour. It makes a wonderful mixer for gin & tonic or a cocktail such as a mojito, but it’s with Prosecco, Champagne or a fine sparkling wine that it really comes into its own.

A glass of bubbly with organic elderflower liqueur makes the perfect wedding drink, and a miniature bottle to take home must surely be the most quintessential of wedding favours.

Serve really chilled; our favourite tip is to freeze some tiny stars of elderflower into ice cubes and drop them into the glass, and to really round off this most sublime of English pairings, scatter in a few rose petals, borage or violet blossoms. Heavenly!

gibsonsorganic.co.uk