Edible flowers are such a joy on a plate, and I love to add them to fresh spring salads and vegan ice cream experiments for a dash of color and flavor. But my all-time favorite is making fermented flower water. Fragrant, tangy, and fizzy, this lilac cordial recipe is an enjoyable way to incorporate fermentation into your diet.
I've been dreaming of surrounding myself with fresh flowers in my tiny apartment, breathing the scented air in the park, and adding edible blossoms to my food all winter long.
So I love that I can incorporate them into one of my favorite homemade fermented beverages. Just like kimchi or sauerkraut in winter, having probiotic drinks when the weather is warmer ensures a good protective barrier against viruses and, some studies say, keeps your mood on the happy side.
Ingredients
Fermented drinks are a great addition to your diet because they nourish your microbiome, stimulating the immune system, nutrient absorption, and digestion.
Elderflower cordial is a tradition in our family, but this time I decided to experiment with lilac. Violets have a sweet, delicate flavor, making a cordial that's wonderful in springtime cocktails or as a drizzle over ice cream.
To make this lovely lilac fizzy drink, you need:
- Fresh lilac blooms
- Organic raw honey
- Purified water
- A balcony in the sun (or simply your kitchen counter)
I like to add different flavors to enrich its taste and benefits, so I added freshly grated ginger, lemons, and grapefruit for a tangy twist.
Lilac flowers and citrus give it a nice flavor, while ginger adds digestive soothing properties.
Instructions
Step 1: Dissolve honey in water
In a large glass jar, combine the water, honey, and yeast, and mix until the honey is dissolved.
Organic honey is a good fermentation starter because it's basically a combination of yeasts, nutrients, and sugar. When yeasts in the honey consume the sugar, you get the fizzy bubbles that make this drink so agreeable.
If you want to get more bubbles, you can add just a pinch of active yeast to stimulate fermentation.
Step 2: Add additional ingredients
Add the citrus, ginger, and lilac flower; stir to combine.
Ginger is a digestive soother and works great in summer drinks, adding a bit of refreshing spiciness.
Step 3: Cover + let sit 48 hours
Cover the jar without tightening it, and place the jar on the kitchen countertop or outside in the sun. Stir it at least once a day with a wooden spoon.
After 48 hours, it should be fizzy enough, but leave it longer if you want more, until it gets the desired fizziness.
Step 4: Strain + bottle + serve
Strain and transfer into glass bottles. Keep them in the refrigerator. Serve chilled with lemon slices.
Substitutions
Other edible flowers: You can create fizzy cordials using several types of scented edible flowers. Just make sure that the flowers are edible and free from pesticides!
- Lavender - Known for its soothing aroma, lavender makes a calming and deliciously fragrant cordial. It pairs well with lemon and is perfect for adding a floral twist to lemonades or cocktails.
- Rose - Rose petals create a beautifully fragrant and slightly sweet cordial. Use petals from fragrant roses that haven’t been treated with pesticides. Rose cordial is lovely in desserts or mixed with sparkling water.
- Hibiscus - Hibiscus flowers yield a vividly colored and tart-tasting cordial. It's particularly refreshing when served cold on a hot day, and it’s also rich in vitamin C.
- Chamomile - Similar to the tea, chamomile flowers can be used to make a soothing and mildly sweet cordial, perfect for a relaxing drink before bed.
- Dandelion - The bright yellow blossoms of dandelion make a surprisingly sweet and grassy cordial. It's a great way to use up these common garden weeds.
Variation: Elderflower Cordial
This fragrant, refreshing cordial recipe is surprisingly simple to make using water and sugar instead of honey. Here's a basic recipe to get you started:
Ingredients
- 20 fresh elderflower heads, stalks trimmed
- Zest of 2 lemons (preferably unwaxed), plus their juice
- 1.5kg (3.3 lbs) sugar
- 1.2 liters (2 pints) water
- 50g (1.8 oz) citric acid (optional, but it helps preserve the cordial and adds a tangy flavor)
Instructions:
Prepare the Flowers: Gently rinse the elderflower heads to remove any dirt or bugs. Put them in a large bowl along with the lemon zest.
Make the Syrup: In a large saucepan, dissolve the sugar in water over low heat, stirring occasionally. Once the sugar has dissolved, bring the mixture to a boil, then remove from heat.
Combine Ingredients: Pour the hot syrup over the elderflowers and lemon zest. Add the lemon juice and citric acid, and stir well.
Infuse: Cover the bowl with a cloth and let it infuse for 24 to 48 hours, stirring occasionally.
Strain and Bottle: Strain the mixture through a fine sieve lined with muslin or a clean tea towel. Pour the strained liquid into sterilized bottles. Seal and refrigerate.
Serve: Elderflower cordial is delicious diluted in still or sparkling water, in cocktails, or in desserts.
Storage
Keep your cordial in the refrigerator. It should last for several weeks.
For longer storage, you can freeze it in plastic bottles, leaving some space for expansion.
📖 Recipe
Fizzy Lilac Cordial Recipe
Equipment
- Large glass jar
- Mesh strainer
Ingredients
- 8 cups purified water
- 3 tablespoons organic raw honey
- ¼ teaspoon active yeast
- 2 fresh lilac inflorescences, rinsed
- 1 organic lemon, cut into slices
- 1 organic grapefruit, cut into slices
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
Instructions
- In a large glass jar, combine the water, honey, and yeast, and mix until the honey is dissolved.
- Add the citrus, ginger, and lilac flower; stir to combine.
- Cover the jar without tightening it, and place the jar on the kitchen countertop or outside in the sun.
- Stir it at least once a day with a wooden spoon.
- After 48 hours, it should be fizzy enough, but leave it longer if you want more, until it gets the desired fizziness.
- Strain and transfer into glass bottles. Keep them in the refrigerator.
- Serve chilled with lemon slices.
