We bottled up the elderberry cordial and elixir that has been aging in the refrigerator for a few weeks to months.
Some lessons learned from this go-round.
- It is harsher and less smooth than last year. Next year I need to pay closer attention to the alcohol percentage. We were mixing everclear and 40% vodka to form the liquor base (since the Class 6 on post doesn’t sell the desired 50% vodka), but it wasn’t until the last batch that I worked out the precise 2:9 ratio that yields 50% ABV. Then mixing it in with the berries or juice, it needs to be 1/3 berries 1/3 sugar or honey and 1/3 liquor. This yields roughly 25% ABV for the finished product, after accounting for all the volume of debris removed in the filtering process.
- I think the whole berries yield a more pleasant final product than steam juice, but the steam juice is definitely more convenient. Also berries need to be mashed better. There were quite a few that hadn’t been broken.
- The elixir has honey and spices in it, so more particulate matter, and doesn’t filter as cleanly as the cordial. Coffee filters do a good job, but take a long time. What we eventually worked out was a process of sequential filtering. First pour it through a colander into a bowl to screen out the big chunks; then through a colander with a single layer of cheese cloth, then a double layer of cheese cloth. Then through the 100 screen, and then the 200 screen, then the coffee filter. Next year, rigging up a gravity fed system that will allow it to filter overnight as a single batch would be much more time efficient than trying to filter it into individual bottles as we go along.
- Count up the total volume and order the 8 ounce bottles before hand. They make nice gift sizes, and are a handy size for a liqueur that strong.
Always a learning experience.
