Goatlady... I think she was referring to the syrup, but even in that case, no, you will have SOME alcohol left.

Which is one of the main reasons I posted the recipe for the syrup both ways... I know there are some folks who should NEVER take any alcohol. If someone is sensitive/concerned enough that they wouldn't- for example- take Nyquil because of it's alcohol content, they probably should use the pure sugar/honey syrup. Nyquil has 25% alcohol, while the elderberry syrup only contains 10%... but since you're going to want to be able to take it several times a day, there's no sense in risking it.

Oh, and congratulations to your hubby!! That's a difficult- and wonderful- accomplishment, and I sure wouldn't want to contribute to breaking his sobriety!

I'd go ahead and make the recipe with only sugar or honey, and bottle it carefully (be as clean as you would be if you were making wine, etc, where everything should be sanitized, and make sure your bottles are sterile before filling). Then, if you have some leftover after "flu season" ... a year from now... you can refrigerate it to extend the life even further.

As a side note, I should say that it's not going to "spoil". I'm just not certain of how long we can be sure the medicinal value holds, although to be truthful, I suspect it will actually last several years, if it's sealed.

Summerthyme