Sparkling elderflower cordial?

[Jessiebean]

I made elderflower cordial and I thought I did a good job of it but they are all fizzy. delightful and obviously mildly alcoholic. Am I going to harm myself by drinking this?

[MKG]

No.

Unless you drink it a gallon at a time, in which case, yes.

[dave45]

Possibly - if your bottles are made of glass and explode. It can happen. It has. Not elderflower but this year I made blackcurrant cordial (Ribena substitute) and gave a bottle to the in-laws. They returned from holiday to find it had exploded in their pantry and embedded glass shards in the woodwork and pebbledashed everything with sticky goo.

oops.

Its wild yeasts in the air getting to work on all that sugary goodness... to avoid it properly you'd have to pasteurise or sterilise the cordial (all bottles in a water bath at temperature for a reasonable time). Or take the risk and leave the tops a bit loose.

[Jessiebean]

Ok, I did sterilise things like I do for jam but I didn't do the water bath thing so it must be the wild yeasts, I am not complaining though! At this stage they are in the fridge and not too alcoholic- probably less than light beer. I am planning on finishing them over xmas/new years so hopefully no explosions!