Black Cherry Water

Bruise six pounds of black cherries, and put to them the tops of rosemary, sweet marjoram, spearmint, angelica, balm, and marigold flowers, of each a handful; dried violets, an ounce; anise seeds, and sweet fennel seeds, of each half an ounce bruised. Cut the herbs small, mix all together, and distil them off in a cold still.

Surfeit Water

Take scurvygrass, brooklime, water cresses, Roman worm-wood, rue, mint, balm, sage, and clives, of each one handful; green merery, two handsful; poppies, if fresh, half a peck; but if dry, only half that quantity ; cochineal and saffron, six pennyworth of each; anise seeds, carraway seeds, coriander seeds, and cardamum seeds, of each an ounce; two ounces of scraped liquorice, a pound of split figs, the same quantity of raisins- of the sun stoned, an ounce of juniper berries bruised, an ounce of beaten nutmeg, an ounce of mace bruised, and the same of sweet fennel seeds also bruised ; a few flowers of rosemary, marigold, and sage. Put all these into a large stone jar, and put to them three gallons of French brandy. Cover it close, and let it stand near the lire for three weeks. Stir it three times a week, and be sure to keep it closely stopped, and then strain it off. Bottle the liquor, and pour on the ingredients a bottle more of French brandy. Let it stand a week, stirring it once a day, then distil it in a cold still. This is best made in summer, but it may be made at any time of the year in London, because the ingredients are always to be had either green or dry.

Hysterical Water

Take betony roots, lovage, and seeds of wild parsnip, of each two ounces; four ounces of roots of single peony, three ounces of misletoe of the oak, a quarter of an ounce of myrrh, and half an ounce of castor. Beat all these together, and add to them a quarter of a pound of dry millepedes. Pour on these three quarts of mugwort water, and two quarts of brandy. Let them stand in a close vessel eight days, and then distil them in a cold still pasted up. Draw off nine pints of water, and sweeten it to the taste. Mix all together, and bottle it up.

Orange Or Lemon Water

Put three gallons of brandy and two quarts of sack to the outer rinds of a hundred oranges or lemons, and let them steep in it one night. The next day distil them in a cold still. A gallon with the proportion of peels will be enough for one still, and from that draw off better than three quarts. Draw it off till it begins to taste sour. Sweeten it to the taste with double-refined sugar, and mix the first, second, and third runnings together. If lemon water, it should be perfumed with two grains of ambergris, and one of musk. Grind them fine, tie them in a rag, and let it hang five or six days in each bottle; or put into them three or four drops of tincture of ambergris. Be sure to cork it well.

Imperial Water

Take a large jar, and put into it two ounces of cream of tartar, with the juice and peels of two lemons. Pour on them seven quarts of boiling water, and when it is cold, clear it through a gauze sieve, sweeten it to the taste, and bottle it. The next day it will be fit for use.

Spirits Of Wine

Put the bottoms of strong beer, and any kind of wines, into a cold still about three parts full. Then make a slow fire under it, and take care to keep it moderate, otherwise it will boil over, the body being so strong that it will rise to the top of the still; and the slower it is distilled, the stronger the spirit will be. Put it into an earthen pot whilst distilling, and then clean the still well out. Put the spirit into it, and distil it slowly as before, till it is strong enough to burn in a lamp. Bottle it, and then cork it well. '.

Fever Water

Take six ounces of Virginia snake root, four ounces of carduus seeds and marigold flowers, and twenty green walnuts; carduus water, and poppy water, two quarts of each, and two ounces of hartshorn. Slice the walnuts, and steep all in the waters a fortnight. Then add to it an ounce of London treacle, and distil the whole in an alembic pasted up.