The Manner of making Double Orange-flower-water, and the essential Oil, or Quintescence of Orange Flowers.
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 in Balneum 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 in Balneum 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 in Balneum 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 a much larger Quantity of it will be obtained, by cohobating the Water on fresh Flowers in Balneum 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.
CHAP. VII.
Of Rose-water.
The Damask Rose is the Species intended to be used in this Operation; it is of a very fragrant Smell, and flowers in June and July. The Water may be made either by the hot Still, the cold Still, or the Balneum Mariæ. If the hot Still be used, the Leaves picked from the Stalks must be put into the Still with a sufficient Quantity of Water to prevent an Empyreuma, and the Water drawn off by a gentle Fire. The Receiver must be luted with a Bladder to the Nose of the Worm, to prevent the finest and most volatile Parts from evaporating, which they would otherwise do, to the great Prejudice of the Water.