Usually, I stick to writing about my sewing adventures but tonight it’s time to share a great recipe for making lilac cordial. It was last year that I, to great surprise, found this recipe. For some reason, I was certain that lilacs were poisonous. Whatever gave me that idea, I don’t know. Perhaps I thought of tulips? Anyway, I’m still alive after drinking it for an entire summer :)

Went to visit my parents today and took the opportunity to raid their lilac tree. Naively, mum thought I was picking the flowers to look at them – not to eat them. Oh boy, could she have been more wrong :) And when we got home, I picked the first lemon on our lemon tree. I reckon making my own sugar is a bit over the top so this is as home-made as it gets ;)

Ingredients:

1l water
1kg sugar
~30 lilac clusters
1 lemon
20g tartaric acid

Mix water + sugar and bring to a boil. In the meantime, remove most of the branches from the clusters and slice the pre-washed lemon. Put the flowers and lemon in a heatproof bowl. When the sugar/water mixture is boiling, add the tartaric acid and pour it over the flowers. Let it cool down and store it in the fridge for 3 days. Strain through a sieve cloth and pour into cleaned bottles. Done!

When serving, mix with water to your taste. Mix it with sparkling water (with some lemon/lime) for an awesome non-alcoholic drink.