"TO MAKE ROSE WATER WITHOUT A LEAD ALEMBIC, take a barber's basin,
and fold a kerchief longwise across the opening like a drum, and
then put your roses on the kerchief, and over the roses set the
bottom of another basin containing hot ashes and live coals.
TO MAKE ROSE WATER WITHOUT ALEMBIC OR FIRE, take two glass bowls, and do as said earlier, and in place of ashes and coals, put it all out in the sun: and the heat of the sun will make the rosewater form.
TO MAKE DAMASK ROSEWATER, add mashed roses to the rose petals. Or thus: pour the first distillation of rosewater into the second and the third and the fourth; and thus, having gone through four times, it will be red.
TO MAKE RED ROSEWATER. Take a glass flask and half fill it with good rosewater then fill it up with red roses, that is petals of young roses from which the white bit at the end has been cut away, and leave nine days in the sun and at night too, and then strain it."
14. To distill Rose-water at Michaelmas, and to have a good
yeeld as at any other time of the yeare.
In the pulling of your Roses, first divide all the blasted leaves,
then take the other fresh leaves, and laie them abroad upon your
table or windows with some cleane linnen under them, let them lie
three ofr foure houres, or if they bee dewy, untill the dew be
fully vanished: put these Rose leaves in great stone pottes,
having narrowe mouthe, and well leaded within, (such as the
Goldfiners call their hookers, and serve to receive their Aqua
fortis, bee the best of all others that I know) and when they are
well filled, stop their mouthes with good corkes, eyther covered
all over with waxe or molten brimstone, and then set your pot in
some coole place, and they will keepe a long time good, and you
may distill them at your best leasure. This way you may
distill Rosewater good cheape. If you buy store of Roses,
when you finde a glutte of them in the market, whereby they are
sold for 7 pence or 8 pence the bushell: you then engrosse the
flower. And some hold opinion, that if in the midst of these
leaves you put some broken leaven, and after fill up the pot with
Rose leaves to the toppe, that so in your distillation of them you
shal have a perfect Rose vinegar, without the addition of any
common vinegar. I have knowne Rose leaves kept well in
Rondlets that have beene first well seasoned with some hot liquor
and Roseleavs, boiled together, and the same pitched over the
outside, so as no ayre might penetrate or pearce the vessell.
15. A Speedy distillation of Rosewater
Stampe the leaves, and first distill the juice being expressed and
after distil the leaves, and so you shall dispatch more with one
Still than others doe with three or foure stils. And this
water is every way as medicinable as the other, serving in all
sirups, decoctions, &c. sufficiently, but not altogether so
pleasing in smell.
17. How to draw the true Spriti of Roses and so of all other
hearbs and flowers.
Maccerate the Rose in his owne juice, adding thereto, beeing
temperately warme, a convenient proportion either of yeast or
ferment: leave them a few daies in fermentation, till they have
gooten a strong & heady smell, beginning to incline toward
vinegar: then distill them in balneo in glasse bodies luted to
their helmes (happily a Limbeck will do better, and rid faster)
and drawe so long as you finde any sent of the Rose to come: then
redistill or rectifie the same so often till you have purchased a
perfect spirit of the Rose. You may also ferment the juice
of Roses only, and after distill the same.
18. An excellent Rosewater
Upon the top of your glasse bodie, straine a haire cloth, and upon
that lay good store of Roseleaves, wither drie, or halfe drie: and
so your wagter will ascend verie good both in smell and in
colour. Distill either in balneo or in a gentle fire in
ashes: you may reiterate the same water upon fresh leaves.
This may also bee done in a leaden Still; over which, by reason of
the breadth, you may place more leaves.
19. An excellent way to make the extract of all Vegetables.
Expresse a good quantity of the juice thereof, set it on the fire,
and give it only a walme or two, then it wil grow clear; before it
be cooled, poure away the cleered filter with a piece of cotton,
& then evaporate your filtered juice, till it come to a thick
substance; and thus you shall have a most excellent extract of the
Rose, Gilliflower, &c. with the perfect sent and taste of the
flower; whereas the common way is to make the extract either by
the spirit of wine, faire water, the water of the plant, or some
kind of menstruum.
23. Rosewater, & yet the Rose-leaves not discoloured
You must distill in balneo, and when the bottom of your pewter
Still is thorow hot, put in a few leaves at once, and distill
them: watch your still carefully; and, as soone as those are
distilled, put in more. I know not whether your profit will
requite your labour, yet accept of it as a new conclusion.
24. How to recover Rosewater, or any other distilled water, that
hath gotten a mother and is in danger to be musty
Infuse your water upon fresh Roseleaves, or upon Rose cakes broken
all in peeces, and then after maceration for three or four hours
with a gentle fire, redistill your water. Do this in a
Limbeck, take heed of drawing too long for burning, unlesse your
Lymbeck stand in balneo.
25. To draw both good Rosewater, and oyle of Roses together.
After you have digested your Rose leaves by the space of 3
moneths, sicut ante, num. 13. Either in barrels or in hookers,
then distill them with fair water in a Limbeck: draw so long as
you can find any excellent smell of the Rose, then divide the
fattie oyle that fleeteth on the top of the Rosewater, and so you
have both excellent oyle of Roses, and also good Rosewater
together, and you shall also have more
water than by the ordinarie way; and this Rosewater extendeth
farther in physicall compositions, and the other serveth best for
perfumes and casting bottles. You may also distill the oile
of Lignum Rhodium this way, saving that you shall not need to
macerate the same above 24 houres in your water or menstruum
before you distill; this oile hath a most pleasing smell, in a
manner equall with the oile of Roses.
Source: Delightes for Ladies to adorne their Persons, Tables, Closets, and Distillatories with Beauties, Banquets, Perfumes & Waters. Sir Hugh Plat, Printed by Humfrey Lownes, 1609.
(Thanks to Terri Spencer for the transcription)
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