Ingredients For Half Gallon

Brown grocery bag full of full Elderflower umbels

8 cups white sugar

1 lemon 

Small handful of Lemon Balm

1. Harvest the elderflowers. 
2. Take all of the flowers off the stems (the stems taste bitter).
3. Place all the flowers in a ½ gallon jar leaving 2-3 inches of space at the top.
4. Zest one lemon and add to the jar along with the juice of the lemon.
5. Chop up a handful of Lemon balm and add to the jar.
6. Make simple syrup by adding 8 cups of boiling water to 8 cups of sugar.  
7. Pour over the flowers.
8. Stir 2-3 times/day tasting at each stir time.
9. When it hits “peak deliciousness” strain. Usually 2-3 days.
10. “Preserve” the solution with your favorite vodka. Preservation requires the final total solution to be a total of 25% alcohol. (Remember that when you are drinking it!)