Home-Made Soft Drinks

As the weather gets warmer, home-made drinks are a real treat.

What recipes do you have?

I am trying out some ginger beer recipes.

Hugh F W’s was oversweet, so I am having a go at Nigel Slater’s recipe.

Add any of your favourites here.

Tall glass of sweet lemonade, gin and soda water over ice with orange slice and cherry.
a Tom Collins.

pick elder flowers when they are in their prime…cream coloured and fresh…once they start to brown they will be putrid… so earlier is better…

I tried Elderflower cordial once.
I think there is a “right time” to pick the flowers, and if you get it wrong it tastes like cats’ pee - sorry, there is no better way to say it.
I am not really sure when is the right time, but it put me right off trying it again - any ideas?

I like iced coffee in the summer.
I make up a batch in the cafetiere, add skimmed milk and chill it.
Serve with ice cubes. Delicious!

For a refreshing lunchtime drink, take a four red fuit teabags (I use SuperU own) make a pot of tea with them as after pour this into a glass jug leave to chill in fridge, just before serving add cold fizzy water, and sugar to taste or if you have a sweet tooth make up with lemonade, or for an alcoholic drink add fizzy wine. Icecubes and fruit also make this lovely!

I had the same problem with trying to buy citric acid - they don’t keep it on the shelves in most places now.

We used to have a home made lemonade and we used the following

LEMONADE

4 pints of boiling water

4 lbs sugar
2 oz citric acid

1 oz of tartaric acid (cream of tartar)

Juice and zest of 8 lemons.

All the ingredients were put into a bowl and mixed. When cool, bottle it and dilute it like squash.

Leave the zest in or filter it out when making up the drink.

I have researched the use of citric and tartaric acid - they are used for their preservative qualities.

I have made it without both and kept it in the fridge, and there were no major problems, but if it was not cooled, then I think you might get some mould growth on it.

havent found Elderflower Cordial in France…but luckily found lots of Elderflower trees in our French garden…so made my own last year. Very simple…but advise anyone who wants to try it to buy their Citric Acid in the UK…I can buy a kilo in the UK for the same price I paid for 130 gramms in France!!! Be aware though…Citric Acid is sometimes used as a buffer for heroin use, so you are often quizzed why you are buying it! Basic recipe’s only need Elderflower, sugar, lemons and citric acid…you can freeze it or keep bottles in fridge…served with fizzy water…and lots of ice is a really cooling summer drink, served with Gin is a lovely party special.