Elderflower Cordial
Elderflower heads steeped with sugar, water and citrus, then strained into a floral, honeyed syrup that sweetens and flavours in one pour. It is non-alcoholic, and it is not St-Germain, which shares the flower and brings a spirit with it.
Quick Facts
Flavour Profile
Primary Flavours
Tasting Notes
Soft floral sweetness with a honeyed, faintly grape-like lift and a citrus edge: summery and delicate, never sharp.
Storage & Handling
Refrigerate once opened and keep sealed: it is a fruit syrup, and warmth invites ferment.
Shelf Life
Sealed: months, to the printed date. Opened: several weeks, refrigerated.
Usage
The Spicy Fifty leans on it for floral sweetness against chilli and vodka: elsewhere it lengthens with sparkling water, lifts spritzes and sweetens anything wanting elderflower without the alcohol a liqueur brings.
Summer, Bottled
Elderflower cordial is summer bottled: elderflower heads steeped with sugar, water and citrus, then strained into a floral, honeyed syrup. It is non-alcoholic, a sweetener and a flavour in one, and an English hedgerow habit that went commercial.
The elder grows as a weed across British hedgerows and flowers for a few weeks either side of midsummer, which is why the cordial is a seasonal ritual rather than a product. Almost everyone who makes it makes a year’s worth in a fortnight.
Cordial Is Not Liqueur
The one thing to keep straight is the liqueur. St-Germain shares the flower and brings alcohol at around 20%, so cordial and liqueur are not interchangeable without a rethink of the whole drink.
Swapping liqueur in where cordial was meant adds strength and changes the sweetness, so the other sweeteners have to come down and the drink arrives drier and stronger. Going the other way removes alcohol the recipe was counting on, and a stirred drink built that way will taste flabby.
In Drinks
In a Spicy Fifty it softens chilli and vodka with floral sweetness, which is the job it does best: standing between something sharp and something strong. It lengthens with sparkling water, lifts a spritz, and sweetens anything wanting elderflower without the alcohol.
It is concentrated, so it should be dosed like a syrup rather than poured like a mixer. Neat cordial is intense, and a drink that tastes of elderflower and nothing else has usually had a mixer’s measure of a syrup’s ingredient.
Making It
Pick the heads on a dry, sunny morning when they smell of honey rather than of cat, shake the insects out and do not wash them, since the pollen carries most of the aroma. Steep with sugar, water, sliced lemon and citric acid, then strain through muslin after a day or two.
Strip the flowers from as much of the green stalk as patience allows. Elder stems, leaves and unripe berries contain cyanogenic compounds and taste bitter besides, so a cordial made with the stalks in is both harsher and worth avoiding. The flowers themselves are fine.
Top Tips
- It is cordial, not liqueur: elderflower cordial is a non-alcoholic syrup, St-Germain is a spirit, and a recipe means one or the other.
- It is concentrated: it sweetens as syrup does, so dose it like one and dilute to taste.
- Dilute for a soft drink, dose for a cocktail: neat cordial is intense.
Possible Substitutions
- Elderflower liqueur, if you accept the added alcohol and cut other sweetness
- Elderflower syrup from another maker
- A floral simple syrup, for the sweetness if not the character
Production Method
Elderflower heads are steeped with sugar, water and citrus, then strained and bottled, often with citric acid to preserve: no distillation, no fermentation, no alcohol.
Common Questions
Is elderflower cordial alcoholic?
No. It is elderflower steeped in sugar, water and citrus, then strained, with no distillation and no fermentation involved at any stage. That is exactly what separates it from elderflower liqueur, which is a spirit and behaves differently in a drink.
Is elderflower cordial the same as St-Germain?
No. St-Germain is an elderflower liqueur, a spirit at around 20% alcohol, while cordial is a non-alcoholic syrup. A recipe calling for one should not take the other without adjusting both the strength and the sweetness of the finished drink.
Can I use elderflower liqueur instead in a Spicy Fifty?
You can, and it adds alcohol and a different kind of sweetness. Reduce the other sweeteners to compensate and expect a stronger, drier drink than the recipe intends. It is a substitution that needs a rethink rather than a straight swap.
Can I make elderflower cordial at home?
Yes, in a couple of days. Pick heads on a dry morning, do not wash them, and steep with sugar, water, lemon and citric acid before straining. Strip off as much green stalk as you can, since elder stems are bitter and contain cyanogenic compounds.
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Often Used With
Guide by Jerry Can Spirits