Elderflower vs linden
The two summer flowers of the European hedgerow and street, gathered within weeks of each other, both soft and both easy to over-pick past their window.
botanical
What is being compared
Point by point
| Aspect | Elderflower | Linden flower |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | The creamy umbel of the elder, cut in early summer. | The blossom and papery bract of the lime tree, over roughly two weeks in June. |
| Flavour | Floral and muscat-like with a light sweetness, close to a white wine grape. | Distinctly honeyed and slightly mucilaginous. |
| Steeping | Short and off the boil; the aroma is volatile and boiling costs most of it. | Long — seven minutes and beyond, and it improves. |
| What is made from it | Cordials, sparkling drinks and Austrian and Hungarian syrups. | Drunk as an infusion; there is no equivalent cordial tradition. |
| Handling | Green stems are stripped because they are bitter, and shaking out insects is a real step. | Picked with the bract attached, which is normal rather than a defect. |
| Where it is ordered by name | Nowhere in particular; it is a made-at-home drink. | France as tilleul, Turkey as ıhlamur, Mexico and Spain as tila. |
| The companion product | Elderberry, from the same tree months later, and a completely different drink. | None; the lime tree gives one harvest. |
The short answer
Linden is the more forgiving and the more widely ordered. Elderflower has the more distinctive aroma and a shorter window in which to get it.
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