Orange Flower Water in a vintage bottle.

Orange Flower comes from the blossoms of the bitter orange tree, Citrus sinensis. The bitter orange plant actually gives us four fragrant oils. The steam distillation of the blossoms is the coveted neroli. When an absolute is made of the same flowers it is referred to as orange blossom absolute. The pressed rinds delivers bitter orange essential oil and the unripe green fruit, stems and twigs give us petitgrain oil.

Bitter orange is a peculiar kind of citrus. It is fresh yet dry and elegant with a lasting sweet undertone. It's blossoms have a light, dry nature. They produce one of my absolute favorite scents in all of creation, the coveted orange blossom. I should really live near orange groves.

Orange flower water is the water left over after the blossoms have been distilled to make essential oil. The blossoms are put into a vessel and steam is forced through it. The steam collects in another vessel with the essential oil floating on top. The oil is syphoned off, the water remaining is the hydrosol.

The scent is sublime. It is floral, fruity with a hint of green, refreshing and very complex. When inhaled orange blossom is antidepressant and a mild sedative, so useful at night to ease insomnia. It has a joyous, uplifting quality. It stops caffeine jitters and is a great choice for fretful babies. It is known for its supportive qualities during the detoxification process or when quitting an addictive habit.

Neroli is a wonderful treatment for delicate, sensitive and oily skin (due to its astringency). Use it as a toner and in face masks with clay and honey. It can also be used as a perfume!

Both rosewater and orange flower water have been used in cooking and baking for centuries. Indian and Middle Eastern desserts are often delicately flavored with them. It is what's used to flavor madeleines and prompted Marcel Proust to remember the past. It's also often used to flavor marshmallows. Add it to champagne as an aphrodisiac, or if you're not inclined to drink alcohol add it to plain seltzer. One tablespoon in a liter of seltzer would befit a toast at any occasion. It's one of my favorite summer refreshers.

I've bottled some up in vintage bottles I found on the beach, all one of a kind. You can see them, and other hydrosols, in my Etsy store.

I am fascinated by the extractive properties of alcohol. Whatever it comes in contact with is transferred to it. My friend Nata of Nata's Cocktails once referred to vodka as "the chicken of liquors". The same technique used to make herbal medicine, bitters, tinctures, colognes and flavored vodka also make extracts.

This winter has been a cold one, one of the coldest on record. I'm not the happiest cook in the world but lately I've been cooking up all kinds of warming soups and stews. But what actually makes me happy is baking and so I've turned my attention to creating extracts.

I started with vanilla, naturally. I consume more vanilla than your average person, I add it to everything. I did a lot of research and discovered that most homemade vanilla extract is quite weak. To legally be called extract it has to have six beans per cup of alcohol, otherwise you're just making vanilla flavored vodka. Sliced, seeded and chopped up I let the six beans macerate for three months until it was a dark opaque and extraordnarily flavorful brew.

That got me started, once I hit on a good thing I want more. I adore toasted hazelnuts so that was my next venture. And why do only one nut when you can do three? Toasted almond and pistachio made sense and I'm considering pecan. I toasted the nuts, let them cool, chopped them up, put them in a clean jar and covered them with vodka. The hazelnuts are a bit more complicated in that once you've toasted them you have to let them cool and rub off the skins. It's a bit time consuming but totally worth it as the skins leave a bitter taste. Leave to macerate for one to three months and then filter and clarify.

This winter I've discovered the joy of making my own nut milks. It's so easy when you know how and there are instructions all over the internet. I started with almond but gradually expanded into hazelnut, pistachio, cashew and coconut. To the almond, hazelnut and pistachio I added their respective extract to bump up the flavor (and usually a bit of vanilla, too!).

Now that citrus season is in full swing I've turned my attention to citrus extracts. When they first came in season I couldn't get enough tangerines so that was the first extract I created. I've got meyer lemon, blood orange and vanilla orange brewing. When I was a kid I adored creamsicles and still go crazy for that creamy orange and vanilla combination. Simply zest whatever fruit you choose, place in a clean jar and cover with vodka. Leave to macerate one to three months, strain and clarify.

I love tea so created some extracts out of my favorites. I drink a delicious all naturally flavored peach tea in the wintertime so created Peach Tea Extract. I love it in seltzer. As the bubbly glass approaches your nose the bubbles pop with perfumed tea fragrance. It's truly sublime. I've added Blackcurrant Tea as well. Attempts at Jasmine and Russian Caravan were less successful but I'm still willing to try working those out.

I also have an abundance of chocolate mint growing in my garden. I've flavored vodka with it in the past and was delighted by the results. Tissane brewed of the mint is nice, minty with a bit of chocolate flavor, but when extracted in alcohol the chocolate flavor really comes through. I have just a couple of bottles left, I'll have to wait until summer to create more.

Extracts are, of course, delicious in baked goods but the possibilities for other deserts are endless. Ice cream comes to mind (but that's for a warmer season). And whatever confection you decide to create don't forget to spike your whipped cream with some extra extracted kick.

To experiment with some of my flavorings check out my Etsy store. Some of them are bottled in vintage extract bottles found on the beach.