Traditional Homemade Elderflower Presse vs Classic American Lemonade

Both drinks start from a sugar syrup sharpened with lemon, but they head in very different directions. The elderflower presse pours its hot syrup, enriched with lemon zest and juice, over fresh blossoms and leaves it to infuse for a day or two, yielding a fragrant floral cordial that is strained and lengthened with sparkling water for a lively fizz. The American lemonade keeps lemon firmly at the centre: cooled simple syrup meets freshly squeezed, strained juice and very cold still water, giving a clean, smooth, tart-sweet drink served over ice.