A Whole Plotta Love

It’s that beautiful time of year when elderflowers are in abundance along the hedgerows, and roses ramble wild, and bloom prolifically in the Boater’s Garden. We’re marking this occasion by making a rose and elderflower gin infusion. Infusions are so simple to make – and that’s the kind of recipe I like.

If you are foraging for elderflowers, please do so responsibly. Elderflowers are great for pollinating insects and so leave some flowers for them. And don’t forget, the flowers turn into berries, and we have more booze related recipes for these later in the year! Also remember that elderflower stalks are toxic when uncooked, so for this reason we remove the flowers from the stems.

Ingredients:

• A handful of elderflowers
• A handful of scented roses
• A bottle of gin – we used Gordon’s but it can be a gin of your choice

Method:

Wash the roses and elderflowers to remove any insects and bits of dirt.

Pat dry and remove the petals from the rose heads and the flowers from the elderflower stems. Running your hands along the elderflower stems is an effective way of doing this.

You can either place the petals and flowers in a clean, sterilised jar and top with the gin, or, if you’re lazy like us, simply add the flowers and petals to the gin bottle. The more flowers and petals added the more aromatic the gin will become. Seal the bottle or jar and leave until the gin infuses to a level that you’re happy with. This means frequent tasting, obviously. Give the bottle a gentle shake every day or so and once the desired flavour is reached simply strain the gin, and serve with a little bit of tonic.