The Art of Perfumery, and Methods of Obtaining the Odors of Plants

AROMATIC VINEGAR. Concentrated acetic acid, 8 oz. Otto of English lavender, 2 drachms. " " rosemary, 1 drachm. " cloves, 1 " " camphor, 1 oz. First dissolve the bruised camphor in the acetic acid, then add the perfumes; after remaining together for a few days, with occasional agitation, it is to be strained, and is then ready for use. Several forms for the preparation of this substance have been published, almost all of which, however, appear to complicate and mystify a process that is all simplicity. The most popular article of this kind is-- HENRY'S VINEGAR. Dried leaves of rosemary, rue, wormwood, sage, mint, and lavender flowers, each, 1/2 oz. Bruised nutmeg, cloves, angelica root, and camphor, each, 1/4 oz. Alcohol (rectified), 4 oz. Concentrated acetic acid, 16 oz. Macerate the materials for a day in the spirit; then add the acid, and digest for a week longer, at a temperature of about 14° C. or 15° C. Finally, press out the new aromatized acid, and filter it. As this mixture must not go into the ordinary metallic tincture press, for the obvious reason of the chemical action that would ensue, it is best to drain as much of the liquor away as we can, by means of a common funnel, and then to save the residue from the interstices of the herbs, by tying them up in a linen cloth, and subjecting them to pressure by means of an ordinary lemon-squeezer, or similar device.