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Drink

To Distil Peppermint Water

A distilled infusion of fresh peppermint leaves in water.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 2 ingredients
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To Distil Peppermint Water

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the peppermint

  1. Harvest peppermint when fully grown and before it seeds.

  2. Cut the leaves into short lengths.

Distill

  1. Fill a still halfway with the peppermint and add water until half full.

  2. Heat the still over a good fire until it nearly boils.

  3. Adjust the fire to prevent boiling over and muddying the water.

  4. Allow the still to drop slowly for clearer and stronger water.

Bottle and store

  1. The next day, bottle the distilled water and let it sit for three to four days to mellow.

  2. Cork the bottle well for long-term storage.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.

Explore the science

What each ingredient does

Fresh peppermint leaves
Provide the aromatic oils that flavour the distilled water.
Water
Carries the peppermint aroma over during distillation to make the finished water.

The step that matters

Adjust the fire to prevent boiling over. If the still boils too vigorously, liquid and plant matter can carry over into the condensate, muddying the water and dulling its clean flavour. A gentle, steady drop rate yields clearer, more aromatic water.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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