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Compound Distilled Waters (Mot whose parts have been)

mot, whose parts have been previously well divided by trituration with lump-sugar, in a glass mortar, Now distill by a water heat, and draw off 6 qts. only. By this operation a most excellent bergamot water will be produced, which will remain good for 20 years.

Original Receipt for Hungary Water.

The original receipt for preparing this invaluable lotion is written in letters of gold in the handwriting of Elizabeth, queen of Hungary. Take of aqua vitæ, four times distilled, 3 parts; the tops and flowers of rosemary, 2 parts. To be put together in a close-stopped vessel, and allowed to stand in a warm place during 50 hours, then to be distilled in an alembic, and of this, once every week, 1 dr. to be taken in the morning, either in the food or drink, and every morning the face and the diseased limb to be washed with it.

French Hungary Water.

The French Hungary water is made wholly from a wine spirit, and from rosemary flowers alone, which about Montpellier (the place from whence this commodity comes) grow in great plenty and perfection. The fragrancy of these flowers is so great as to render the waters made from them more excellent and valuable than anything of the kind made in England.

Best Hungary Water.

Take 30 galls. of spirit of wine; put to it, in a large still, 6 large bunches of fine green rosemary, when the flowers are white and in full bloom; 1 lb. of lavender flowers, and 4 oz. of true English oil of rosemary. The rosemary-leaves and flowers must be stripped from all their wood and green twigs. When the whole has been in a state of digestion for 24 hours, distill as before, drawing off about 25 or 26 galls., but no more.

When distilled, stop it closely in a copper vessel, and keep it undisturbed for about a month.

Aqua Mellis, or the King's Honey-water.

First Distillation.

Take 28 lbs. of coriander seeds, ground small in the starch-mill; 28 common bunches of sweet marjoram, in flower, dried and stripped from the twigs; 1 lb. of calamus aromaticus; 1 lb. of yellow saunders; and 1 lb. of orange and lemon peel. Let the 3 last be separately beaten into gross powder. Mix the above ingredients, and put them into a 60 gall. copper still, and add to them 20 galls. of proof spirit, and the same quantity of rain or spring-water. Lute well all the junctures of the apparatus, and leave the ingredients in this state, without fire, for 48 hours. At the end of this time begin to distill by a very gentle heat, lest the flowers and seeds, which are very light, should rise suddenly in the still-head, stop up the worm, and endanger the whole work.

Increase the fire after the first half hour, and keep it regular till the termination of the process. Draw off about 26 or 27 galls., or continue so long as the spirit will burn by the application of a lighted paper to a small quantity of it in a saucer. Next day, when the still is perfectly cold, let it be well cleaned out. The ingredients should be immediately dried in the sun, otherwise they will become mouldy. When there is a considerable quantity from 3 or 4 makings it ought to be ground in a mill, and finely sifted. They will be found to be of great use in the making of ordinary brown wash-balls, and, with some additions of brown powders for the hair.

Second Distillation.

Now return the spirits drawn off into the still, and add 10 or 12 galls. of water; then put in the following ingredients, bruised and mixed: 14 oz. of nutmegs, 4 oz. of cloves, 12 oz. of cinnamon bark, 8 oz. of pimento, and 40 oz. of cassia-lignum. These are to be separately broken or bruised in an iron mortar, until they are about the size of small peas. If there be any dust, it must be sifted from them before they are used; then take 40 oz. of storax, 40 oz. of gum Benjamin, 44 oz. of labdanum, and 40 venellios. Break and bruise the above also, but make as little dust as possible. Put the dust from these and the foregoing, together, into a coarse muslin bag, which is to be hung in the still, so that the liquor, during distillation, may extract all its virtues. The whole are then to remain in the liquor, in a cold state, for 48 hours, attention being still paid to luting and stopping close, as before. At the end of this time kindle the fire, and work off (slowly at first) until 26 galls. are distilled. Mix all the different runnings together in a copper vessel, kept for this purpose only.

Having drawn off, in this second distillation, 26 galls., mix together 10 oz. of spirit of musk, 10 oz. of spirit of ambergris, oz. of true oil of lavender, oz. of essence of bergamot, and oz. of oil of rhodium. Now add to it, in a copper vessel that will hold 40 galls., 6 galls. of orangeflower water, and 8 galls. of rose-water, recently made. When properly mixed, put all these into the copper vessel, and stir the whole well together. Add to all these a quart of milk, which has stood for a night, and which has had the cream taken clearly off; then agitate and mix the whole well together, and stop the vessel up close, until the time when it is to be used.

The jar ought to have a lock-cock soldered into it, to prevent accidents. This should be placed full two inches from the bottom, in order that the milk and other impurities may fall to the bottom.

If this honey-water be made in the spring, and if the weather be fair, it will be quite fined down in the course of a month, that is, if it be not opened or disturbed. When, by drawing off a little in a glass, the milk, etc., have fallen down to the bottom, draw the whole off into clean and well-seasoned stone or glass bottles, or into another copper jar. This composition ought never to be drawn off in rainy or cloudy weather , for then the milk is apt to rise. In warm weather it should be kept cool, and in winter as warm as possible. When distilled in the winter the jars ought to be warmed, or otherwise the honey-water will not be fined for 5 or 6 months.

This honey-water may keep 30 years.

The ingredients from the second distillation are of much greater value than those from the first, and therefore require more care in the drying.

These are of great use for the best sort of gross powders, for sweet bags, etc.; and, if made into a fine powder, may be made use of with great success, in the best sort of brown perfumed balls. The same powder, with fresh ingredients, makesexcellent pastils, to burn; and may be further used in making spirit of Benjamin.

Compound Spirit of Juniper.

Take of juniper-berries, well bruised, 1 lb.; caraway seeds, and sweet fennel seeds, each, bruised, 1½ oz. diluted alcohol, 1 gall. Macerate for two days, and having added as much water as will prevent empyreuma, draw off, by distillation, 1 gall.

Lavender Spirit.

Take 14 lbs. of lavender flowers, 10½ galls. of rectified spirit of wine, and 1 gall. of water, draw off 10 gall. by a gentle fire; or, which is much better, by a sand bath heat.

Lavender-water.