As part of a restorative, rejuvenating and bucolic week in Suffolk, Herself and I made Elderflower Cordial. We found a tree a mile or so down a private track which appeared to be in good health, and plundered it for its delicately scented flowers. We even put them in a basket, rather than a bag. La La La! Add syrupy water, lemons and citric acid and 24 hours later you have Elderflower Cordial. Which somehow manages to taste of all the Elderflowers on the tree, rather than the 15 or so heads we used. It's summer in a glass.
I respected the purity of the process for at least three days, before seeing how the cordial went with vodka and tonic. The answer is, like Fred and Ginger. The vodka gives the cordial sex appeal, the cordial gives the vodka class. I had the double joy of sitting by a pretty rose-filled courtyard, with wood pigeons cooing somewhere nearby, reading my book and drinking a cocktail part of which I had made myself, while eating toast covered in home-made chicken liver pate. Delicious, nutritious and just a little bit smug - this is what good holidays are made of.
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as someone for whom vodka is temporarily forbidden (not to mention chicken liver pate) i can vouch for the pure version which was ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS. you need to give this cocktail a name.
ReplyDeleteNB the saturday papers has a recipe for elderflower vinegar...something for next year...?