Project - Elderflower Cordial

Having made elderflower cordial a year or two ago, and found the results too sweet and a little bland I researched a few recipes and ideas and went for:

The Elder tree starting to blossom

30 elderflower heads
1.5 Litres of water
1kg Sugar
50g citric acid
2 lemons
1 large oranges
2 limes

1. I picked the whitest flower heads I could find, avoiding un-opened flowers or ones covered in bugs.
2. Boil the water in a kettle and pour into a large saucepan or bowl.
3. Stir in the sugar until it is dissolved
While the water is cooling

Trimmed and washed elderflower heads

4. Trim off the thicker stalks to leave more flowers than greenery.
5. Rise the flower heads in cold water
6. Zest or grate the skin of the orange, lemons and lime
7. Chop the orange, lemons and limes into quarters
The water should have cooled to a warm temperature by now
8. Add the elderflower heads, fruit zest and quarters, citric acid and stir gentle
9. Cover the saucepan or bowl and leave for 24 to 48 hours
10. Strain the liquid using muslin and keep refrigerated.

The concoction left to infuse for 36 hours

The batch I made was a similar concentration to regular cordial, and tastes much nicer with ice cold water. I still found it a little sweet so I'll try with less sugar in my next batch.

Finished and bottled