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Concoctions
And Extracts
The fragrance of herbs
is in their oils, which must be released into a usable form, usually
by soaking in a solvent. Although it may seem odd, it's best to
extract fragrance from dried, not fresh leaves or flowers. If you
use fresh herbs, you will also be preserving their "vegetable"
smells, not nearly so pleasant as their oils. Drying removes juices,
leaving only the oils.
To make herbal tinctures
for cologne or to add to other herbal cosmetics, half-fill a tight-lidded
jar with herbs and cover with ethyl alcohol (not rubbing or wood
alcohol) or in 95 proof vodka (choose the cheapest; save the good
stuff to drink). Add more if needed to keep covered; shake vigorously
several times a day for two weeks -- longer for blossoms. To test,
dip a strip of absorbent paper or cloth into it and let dry. Then
sniff. Too faint? Keep shaking for another week or so until it's
stronger.
The most famous herbal
tincture, Bay Rum, is an aftershave made with rum and sold all over
the Caribbean. Soak bay leaves in rum, with the peel of an orange
or lime and a broken cinnamon stick to jazz it up. Before bottling,
add an equal amount of distilled water. If you're more of a Dunhill
for Men kind of person - forget the extracts and cough up the bucks.
Bottle these in decanters
or cork-stoppered bottles (look in kitchen or import shops for bottles
designed to hold cooking oils). Or recycle soysauce, hot pepper
sauces and other condiment bottles.
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