My favorite elder syrup includes the berries and flowers, plus stimulating, warming spices to improve absorption and circulation. I prefer not to overcook my elderberries by boiling for extended periods of time, and have found that excessive cooking weakens the potency of theelderberry medicine. This syrup uses a strong 1:2 infusion of the herbs, which is preserved with honey and alcohol. This syrup is delicious and strong medicine for the cold and flu season for the whole family! I have also found elderberry preparations to be an excellent ally for shingles, chicken pox, and other herpes viruses. Take 1-3 tsp per day all season long, or 1/2 tsp hourly in acute illness.
1 cup dried elderberries
1/2 cup dried elderflowers
2 tbsp ginger chips
1 tbsp cinnamon chips
16 oz water
4oz vodka or brandy
1 lemon, juice
16 oz honey or sugar
1. Mix all the dried herbs together in a jar.
2. Pour 16 oz boiling water over the herbs, and 4 oz of vodka or brandy
3. cap and let infuse 8 hours or overnight.
4. In a muslin, jelly bag, or cheesecloth strain the herbs from the liquid. Squeeze gently to get as much fluid from the herbs as possible.
5. Add the juice of 1 lemon.
6. Measure out exactly how much liquid you have in a glass measuring cup.
7. Add an equal amount of raw honey or sugar to the liquid. Mix well until sugar dissolves.
8. Bottle and store. It will keep best under refrigeration. If you wish to keep this in the pantry, you will want to use more alcohol in step 2 (8 oz of 50% vodka) to preserve.
SHAMANA FLORA 
I thought you had to boil elderberries for 30 minutes to make them safe to consume
Can I sub fresh berries for dried?
How long might this keep in the fridge? recipe came out great but it made more than I expected….about 32 oz.
I did the math and way less expensive than commercially available elderberry syrup (about $20/8 oz for that but maybe $20 for all the herbs, honey, lemon and bottles).
Ok. This made the best elderberry syrup I’ve ever had. Instant convert. Thank you! I had to make a couple minor variations: I didn’t have elderflowers, but will add them next time around. I looked at what I did have on hand, and instead added cardamom to the mix since it is all kinds of good + om nom nom medicine. Also, I didn’t have quite enough raw honey to make the full volume, so I added unsulphured molasses to make up the balance. Not the exact recipe, but sometime you have to use what you’ve got. 🙂
Now the challenge is to only drink a teaspoon each day, lol. This is a super delicious healing syrup. And, as it quickly got me over the beginnings of a cold, I can attest to its kind and powerful efficacy.
Thanks again for posting the recipe!
Oh, Yum…makes great Christmas gifts! “Essence of all beings is Earth. The essence of the Earth is water. The essence of water is plants. The essence of plants is the human being. “ -Upanishads