Orange Flower Water

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.

Hydrosols

For centuries we've enjoyed and benefitted from the most commonly known hydrosol, rosewater.  A true gift from nature, rosewater is intensely floral in scent and taste, a quality that lends itself brilliantly to delectable deserts.

Hydrosols are the distilled water by-product of the distillation process which creates essential oils. They are infused with microdrops of essential oil as well as water-soluble plant components which gives them their scent and therapeutic qualities.  They have taste, scent and a chemical makeup that makes them therapeutic.

Spritz them on your face, neck and body to cool and refresh yourself in summer’s heat or moisten the air in winter’s dry indoor heat. Spray in the dryer before loading your clothes or spray on clothes during ironing to beautifully scent your laundry. Refreshen the air in a stuffy room. Hydrosols act as air-borne virucides and may be used to disinfect the sick-room, hotel room or airplane. Use on hands to disinfect them when soap and water are unavailable.

Rosewater: The most popular hydrosol. Rosewater is a toner for all skin types and is the best for aging skin. It eases nervousness and is an aphrodisiac. Rosewater is also used in cooking and is popular in many Middle Eastern and Indian dishes, both in deserts and savory dishes. Check out this article from the New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/01/dining/01power.html?th&emc=th 
Lavender Water: Lavender hydrosol is very gentle and balancing for all skin types. It cools burned skiing, reduces mental fatigue, relaxes and refreshes. Great for jet lag. 
Chamomile Water: Chamomile Water is very soothing for dry, inflamed and sensitive skin. One of the best all-purpose waters, spray on your face, neck and body for cooling relief from summer's heat. Because of it's effect on the nervous system chamomile is a useful aid in stress reduction, depression and insomnia. It can be mildly euphoric, instilling a feeling of well-being. Useful at bedtime for physical relaxation and a restful night. Chamomile water is wonderful for skin care calming rashes, sensitivities and redness. It is the number one choice for baby care. Diaper rash redness and pain can be soothed with dilute chamomile.

New Colognes

Colognes bottled up and ready

This season's colognes are finally brewed, filtered, bottled and labeled.  I'm pleased with the way they turned out this year.  The new influx of materials was a joy to work with.

I started the project by individually tincturing the dry materials to see/smell what they do on their own.  Then I was able to blend with more confidence.  After doing research on old cologne formulary and coming up with some ideas of my own I set about working my ideas out on paper.  I knew I wanted to do a fougere and I've always wanted to make something called Swamp Water.  The new fragrances are:

Foret de Fougere:  Lately I've fallen in love with the fragrance family fougere. French for fern, fougeres are meant to replicate the scent of the forest floor (ferns don't actually have a scent of their own). To be a true fougere there must be three notes - lavender, oakmoss and some kind of coumarin (the molecule responsible for the sweet caramel note in tonka beans, hay and sweet woodruff). Oakmoss is a little tough to come by in its natural state but the coumarin note was accomplished by sweet woodruff and tonka beans and accented with vanilla beans and patchouli. Jasmine forms the heart of this fragrance with lavender and cassia in the top. I'm really happy with the way this one came out, it may be my favorite of all the cologne experiments.

L'eau du Who:  L'eau du Who is inspired by the classic cologne, 4711. After a little research I came up with an approximate formula for the cologne and broke it down into something akin. Patchouli leaves, vetiver roots and sandalwood powder form the base while jasmine, rose buds and peach tea create the heart, finished with meyer lemon, minneola tangerine and orange peel combined with basil and lemon verbena. I named it after my guitar hero, Pete Townshend of the Who, who reportedly wore it before his shows.

Swamp Water:  Swamp Water is an idea I came up with long ago when fantasizing about the bayou. I saw grasses swaying in the breeze, the night air thick with heavy florals, a refreshing glass of tea with herbs. Vetiver, the roots of a grass, and sweetgrass combine with sandalwood to form the base while jasmine, meadowsweet and lavender bring in the heart. Swirling on top are jasmine tea, orange peel and lemon verbena.

Meadowsweet:  This cologne could easily be called Honey Water as it is as sweet as nectar. Meadowsweet and linden blossoms sit atop crushed tonka beans and sandalwood with lemon verbena gracing the top.

Terroir:  Terroir is the term used to describe the special set of characteristics that the geography, geology and climate of a certain place, interacting with the plant's genetics, express in agricultural products. Most of the herbs and flowers used in this potion are locally grown and harvested myself. Sweet woodruff, which grows in my herb garden, is supplanted with orris root and sweetgrass to form the bottom chord. Freshly harvested linden blossoms and pink and white roses form the heart, with home grown lemon verbena, tarragon and sweet annie on top. It has a sweet earthy lushness, Brooklyn grown.

Verbena Water

The newest hydrosol I've added to my collection is Verbena, Aloysia triphylla, also known as Vervain.  For those of you that don't know, a hydrosol is the water that's left over from the distillation process that creates essential oils.  They have microparticles of the original plant material and are scented, flavorful and have many therapeutic properties.

Verbena herb is known for it's effects in dispelling depression and countering nervous exhaustion and anxiety.  Great for headaches and migraines and is said to be one of the best palliatives for the onset of colds and flu.  It is reputed to be a good daily mouthwash as it's strong anti-inflammatory ability has a strong affinity for the mucus membranes of the mouth and nose.

Internally it will settle a nervous stomach and indigestion, as well as being very pleasant to drink.  A tablespoon of hydrosol in a liter of seltzer is wonderfully refreshing.  It could also be added to a pot of tea.  It's flavor is distinctly lemon but not citrusy, and much less potent.  Imagine it in desserts, or with seafood.

Verbena's pH is very close to that of the acid mantle of the skin making it a good clarifier.  It refines skin texture and may reduce pore size.  It seems to suit men as an aftershave since the scent is neither floral nor fruity.

Verbena Water by Herbal Alchemy can be bought here.