CHAP. VI.Of Orange flower-water.
TheOrange-tree grows plentifully inItaly,Spain, andPortugal, and bears Flowers and Fruit all the Year; but the Fruit is gathered chiefly inOctoberandNovember.
The Flowers grow on the younger Shoots among the Leaves: They are white, and consist of a single cup-fashioned Leaf, cut into five Parts, with several yellow Stamina in the middle, and of a fragrant odoriferous Smell.
Some Degree of Attention is requisite to draw a simple and odoriferous Water for the Orange Flowers; the Fire must be carefully regulated; for too small a Degree will not bring over the essential Oil of the Flowers, in which their odoriferous Flavour consists: and, on the contrary, too strong a Fire destroys the Fragrancy of the Water, and is very apt to scorch the Flowers, and give the Water an empyreumatic Smell. Care should also be taken to fasten the Receiver to the End of the Worm with a Bladder, to prevent the volatile Parts from evaporating. The Quantity of Water, also, should becarefully attended to, if you hope to succeed in the Operation. The following Receipts will answer the Intention.
Take twelve Pounds of Orange-flowers, and twenty-four Quarts of Water, and draw over three Pints.
Or,
Take twelve Pounds of Orange Flowers, and sixteen Quarts of Water; draw over fifteen Quarts, carefully observing what has been observed at the beginning of the Chapter with regard to the Regulation of the Fire.
Having shewn how to make simple Orange-flower-water, we shall now shew how to make double Orange-flower-water, and the essential Oil, or Quintessence of Orange Flowers.
Double Orange-flower-water is made, by distilling the Orange Flowers in a cold Still; in the Manner laid down in the first Chapter. The Water extracted in this manner will be very odoriferous and grateful; being what is called Double Orange-flower-water. The same odoriferous Water will be obtained by distilling the Flowers inBalneum Mariæ, without any Water in the Still. If the cold Still be used put into it as many Flowers as the Head will well cover; and then make a gentle Fire under the Plate, and as soon as you perceive the Still is beginning to work, fasten the Receiver to the Beak of the Still with a Bladder. The same Caution must be observed if the Flowers are distilled inBalneum Mariæ.
To make this Water to Perfection, the Flowers should be fresh gathered in the Morning with the Dew upon them, if possible; and carefully picked from the Leaves. You should likewise make Choice of the largest Flowers, because these yield most in Distillation. The Fire must be brisk when the Flowers are distilled inBalneum Mariæ; because the Operation is longer in performing than by the common Alembic, and the Flowers are not here in Danger of being burnt at the Bottom of the Cucurbit. If you would have your Water of a fine Smell, let it be cohobated on fresh Flowers.
With this double Water, the essential Oil or Quintessence will come over, and float on the Surface of the Water. But amuch larger Quantity of it will be obtained, by cohobating the Water on fresh Flowers inBalneum Mariæ. The essential Oil is at first of a green Colour, but after some Days it will turn reddish. The essential Oil is easily separated from the Water, by the separating Glass, in the following manner: Stop the Spout of the separating Glass with a Cork, and then fill it with the Orange-flower-water; when it has stood a small time the Oil will float on the Surface. Then pull out the Cork, and let the Water run out at the Spout into another Receiver placed for that Purpose. As the Water runs out at the Spout of the Separating-glass, let it be supplied at the Mouth, that the Separating-glass may be always full of Water, till the whole is in this manner poured into it. Then by gently inclining the Glass, pour out all the Water in it through the Spout, and the Oil will remain in the Separating-glass, and may be poured into another Bottle, and kept separate from the Water. The double Orange-flower water is odoriferous; but the essential Oil much more so.
Orange-flower-water is not at present so much used as formerly; but as it is a very odoriferous Water, I thought the Method of making it would be not unacceptable to the young Distiller.
The essential Oil, or Quintessence of Orange-flowers will make a very grateful Cordial, by mixing it with a clean proof Spirit: The Method of mixing it is this:
Take some fine Loaf Sugar, and drop on it the Quantity of Oil you intend to dissolve in the Spirit, and rub them well together in a Glass Mortar, which is what the Chemists call making an Oleosaccharum. Put this Oleosaccharum into the Spirit; mix them well together, and dulcify it with Sugar to your Taste. If the Spirit be too strong, it may be lowered with Water; but you must observe, that if you add Water enough to bring the Spirit considerably below Proof, it will turn milky; and in order to render it fine, you must filtrate it thro’ thick Flannel, or thin Paper. Twenty Drops of the essential Oil will be sufficient for a Pint of Spirit, and the same Proportion to a larger Quantity.