Thursday, 01 May 2025

Beneficial, Refreshing, and Homemade: Elderberry Juice 

One of the most appreciated drinks in South Tyrol during the summer months is certainly elderberry juice. Particularly refreshing and with excellent health benefits, this sugary juice is prepared in many South Tyrolean homes. Elderberry is a very common plant in South Tyrol, easily found along streams or at the edges of forests, and often near farmhouses. In the past, it was believed to protect against witches and evil spirits. 

Elderberry flowers and fruits contain antioxidants that protect cells from free radicals, and they also have soothing, expectorant properties and promote sweating. The fruits – small dark berries harvested from August onwards – are rich in vitamin C, which strengthens the immune system, especially during the colder months. The fruits can be used to make a syrup for coughs by preparing a decoction or jam, which has a laxative and anti-neuralgic effect.

The flowers, known for their diuretic properties, are ideal for making tea and a very refreshing juice. In South Tyrol, flowering begins in mid-May in the lower areas and continues in the mountains above 800 meters in June. To make the juice, you need elderberry flower clusters, sugar, untreated lemons, citric acid, or some apple cider vinegar. Recipes for preparing it vary; some suggest boiling the water, while others recommend letting the mixture macerate for a few days before straining and bottling it. The finished juice can be stored in glass jars or bottles in a cool cellar.

To make a few liters of juice, the following ingredients needed are:

• 15 elderberry flowers
• 4/5 untreated lemons
• 1.5 kg of sugar
• 1.5 liters of water
• 50 grams of citric acid

Let the 15 elderberry flowers with 4 halved and squeezed lemons macerate in a glass or ceramic container with 1.5 liters of water for 1 or 2 days. Then, add the citric acid and sugar, and stir until completely dissolved. To make the drink even more refreshing, you can also leave a few mint leaves to macerate. Once the sugar is fully absorbed, filter and squeeze everything with a dishcloth to remove impurities, pouring the resulting juice into bottles or glass jars stored in a cool place. The juice is consumed by diluting a certain amount with fresh water, and once opened, the bottle should be stored in the refrigerator.

Picture: Elderberry juice, Courtesy Gallo Rosso