Recipe for elderberry syrup

We use Elderberry flowers to prepare a natural and refreshing syrup that is also used to make an Alpine aperitif called "Hugo"!

This flower is one of my favourites. It has many natural and healing properties but above all, it is an excellent ingredient in the kitchen. Every year I plan a walk in the meadows away from busy traffic where I can collect at least thirty of these flowers which I then use to make syrup.

"Acqua del sindaco” (literally, Mayor's water) and Elderberry syrup form a thirst-quenching drink. It’s just perfect when I’m working outside in the garden or in the vegetable patch and excellent when I prepare Hugo aperitifs for my guests: Elderberry syrup, Trento Doc, sparkling water and some mint leaves.

Ingredients:

• 30 elderberry flowers
• 3 kg of sugar
• 3 l of water
• 3 lemons
• 90 grams of citric acid

Preparation:

In a large bowl, grind the elderberry flowers with the water and citric acid. Leave to infuse for 48 hours, stirring a couple of times a day.

Remove the flowers and filter very well with gauze. Add the sugar and the juice of the 3 lemons: the juice must be thoroughly filtered before being added to the syrup!

Stir extremely well to dissolve all the sugar and leave to rest for a day.

Remove the film that has formed on the surface and pour into a bottle. By removing the film from the surface, we prevent residue from ending up in the bottle, which could subsequently ferment and cause the bottles to "explode"!

Store in a cool, dark place.