How to make elderflower syrup — the authentic Agropošta recipe

How to make elderflower syrup — the authentic Agropošta recipe

This is the recipe we use at Agropošta for all our herb syrups — elderflower, mint, lavender, sage. The base is always the same: a sugar syrup with citric acid, in which the flowers steep for 48 hours. Simple, pure and full of flavour.

Ingredients (base)

• 1 kg sugar
• 1 litre water
• 20 g citric acid
• 100 g fresh elderflower

Preparation

Step 1 — Make the syrup base

Dissolve 1 kg of sugar, 1 litre of water and 20 g of citric acid into a homogeneous solution. You will get a volume of approximately 1.5 litres. The solution should be at room temperature.

Step 2 — Add the flowers

Make sure the flowers are clean and healthy. Do not wash them before use — washing rinses away the pollen, essential oils and aromas. Remove as many stems as possible as they give a bitter taste to the syrup, and use riper flowers without closed buds. Place the flowers in the syrup base and stir briefly with a wooden spoon.

Step 3 — Steep for 48 hours — and stir regularly

Leave the flowers to steep in the syrup for 48 hours. During this time it is important to stir the solution at least 4 times a day. You do not need to stir for long — a few circular movements are enough. This ensures the flowers remain in even contact with the syrup and that the flavour is optimally extracted.

Step 4 — Strain and store

After 48 hours, remove the flowers and strain the syrup through gauze. The fresh syrup is fragile — it can quickly ferment, develop mould, or spoil. Store it in the refrigerator and use it quickly. Want to keep it longer? Then you need to pasteurise it.

Pasteurisation

Want to store the syrup for months or even years? There are two methods:

Method 1 — Hot fill

Heat the syrup to approximately 90°C and pour it as hot as possible into clean bottles. Seal the bottles immediately with a clean cap. Then lay the bottle on its side so that the hot syrup also sterilises the cap. Allow the syrup to cool naturally. If done correctly, the syrup can last for years.

Method 2 — Water bath pasteurisation

Pour the cold syrup into bottles — but do not fill them completely, as the syrup expands when heated. Do not seal the bottles yet. Place the bottles in a large pot and fill the pot with water to almost the rim of the bottles. Heat the pot to just below boiling point and maintain this for 20 minutes. Then seal the bottles and lay them on their side.

Storage

• Unpasteurised: in the refrigerator, use quickly
• Pasteurised: in a dark, cool place — can last for years if properly sealed
• Once opened: store in the refrigerator and use within a few weeks

Variations — other flavours

The same base works for mint, lavender, sage, fig leaf, rosemary — and anything you want to try, as long as it is edible. You decide the amount of herbs: more herbs give a more intense flavour. Experiment and discover your own favourite combinations.

No time to make your own? Our organic elderflower syrup cordial is made from hand-picked flowers from our own garden. View the Agropošta elderflower syrup →