Distilling Simple Waters
From Consult me, 1902
Serves 1
Adding spirits can preserve the distilled water for a longer time.
Presented as published in 1902. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation below, not the original instructions.
A modern interpretation · AI-generated from the original record
Ingredients
Method
As published
This recipe was extracted from Consult me (1902) by Robert Kemp Philp, page 523. The excerpt below is the record exactly as published.
a piece of muslin, or gauze, over a glazed earthen pot, whose mouth is just large enough to receive the bottom of a warming-pan ; on this cloth lay your herb, clipped, whether mint, laven- der, or whatever else you please ; then place upon them the hot warming-pan, with live coals in it, to cause heat just enough to prevent burning, by which means, as the steam issuing out of the herb cannot mount upwards, by reason of the bottom of the pan just fitting the brim of the vessel below it, it must necessarily descend, and collect into water at the bottom of the receiver, and that strongly impregnated with the essential oil and salt of the vegetable thus distilled ; which, if you want to make spirituous, or compound water of, is easily done, by simply adding some good spirits, or French brandy to it, which will keep good for a long time, and be much better than if the spirits had passed through a still, which must of necessity waste some of their strength. Care should be taken not to let the fire be too strong, lest it scorch the plants ; and to be made of charcoal
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Cook this with the app: pantry check, scaling, and the assistant.