Elderflower Power

It was spring 1986 and we picked quite a lot of these fragrant white flowers. When we got home and turned on the TV, the news about the Chernobyl disaster was on. My mother made us throw the precious flowers out of fear that they might already be radioactive and contaminated. I don’t know why, but we never picked elderflowers again, but luckily, many other people did.

“These small and delicate white flowers are forest’s favourite perfume in May and June.” Image credit: Enogastrobrutal

For my generation, elderflower cordial is the drink of our childhood. In the 1980s, there was no huge selection of sodas and fruit juices that we have today. Mostly we would buy fruit syrups and instant powder drinks in the supermarkets, and elderflower cordial was the homemade, DIY drink in many families. Apart from the fact that it’s really tasty and has a unique flavor, elderflower is free and all around us in the season of blooming, you just have to go out and pick it. Making the syrup is no big deal, the procedure is fairly simple. And when you finish the process, you’re stocked up for months. Just add water and prepare the drink according to your preferences.

“Soaking up the flowers, one of the steps in preparing the elderflower cordial.” Image credit: Enogastrobrutal

Over the years, the elderflower cordial became neglected and outdated; it is a lot easier just to grab any kind of soft drink from a shop. To be offered a glass of elderflower cordial at somebody’s home became rare and had a really old-fashioned feel to it. I would actually feel totally taken aback if I came upon a good homemade elderflower juice. But some 6-7 years ago, a new wind started to blow. Maybe because the elderflower cordial became such an obsolete drink, or maybe because people were longing for some good old natural stuff instead of the crazy amount of artificial juices and sodas on the market. The moment was ripe for a few small family-owned companies to reinvent the elderflower cordial. They simply started producing the well-known drink from our childhood in the old-school way and offered it to the market. Agropošta was among the first and what they did was quite revolutionary – at first they didn’t do bottles, but single-serve sachets sold in bars and cafés only. People slowly got hooked. How elated I was when I found out I could order a glass of the traditional elderflower cordial and not some omnipresent multinational juice brand in a bar! Others followed the example and now there are quite a few companies and family farms producing natural and even certified organic elderflower cordial, made as our grandmas used to do.

“Hugo, a wonderfully refreshing summer cocktail containing the elderflower cordial.” Image credit: Vino & Ino

The season for picking the flowers is late spring, it’s already gone, so why I am writing this now? Because the old-school elderflower cordial is an excellent thirst-quencher in hot summer days, and when upgraded, it can be used as cool refreshment in many forms. A healthy drink for children or a pool party cocktail for the adults, you can have it all. The perfect adult version is the famous Hugo cocktail – sparkling wine, elderflower syrup and sparkling water with some mint and lime. Or use it to boost the primordial Croatian cocktail called gemišt (dry, slightly acidic white wine mixed with sparkling water). Don’t hesitate to play with it and find your perfect mix. In any case, whether you do it at home or buy a commercial version, elderflower is your true summer friend. Sure, there’s also elderflower jam, tea, brandy, but leave that for some other occasion.

“Elderflower spritzer with strawberries, now that’s a real spark of creativity.” Image credit: Da mi je nešto slatko

Header Image credit: Taste of Croatia

Author: Taste of Croatia