Illustration — a stand-in until there's a photo of the real thing.
Source John French, The Art of Distillation, London, 1651 — original
Ingredients
green hysop (distilled to a gallon and a half of water)
four handfuls of dried hysop
a handful of rue
as much of rosemary
horehound
elecampane root, bruised, four ounces
horse-radish root, bruised, four ounces
tobacco in the leaf, three ounces
aniseed bruised, two ounces
two quarts of canary wine
half a pound of raisins of the sun stoned
licorice, two ounces
sweet fennel seeds bruised, two ounces and a half
ginger sliced, an ounce and a half
sugar candy (to sweeten when drunk)
Method
Distill green hysop in a cold still until you have a gallon and a half of the water.
To this put four handfuls of dried hysop, a handful of rue, as much of rosemary, and horehound, elecampane root, bruised, and of horse-radish root, bruised, of each four ounces, of tobacco in the leaf three ounces, aniseed bruised two ounces, two quarts of canary wine.
Let them all stand in digestion two days and then distill them.
In the water that is distilled put half a pound of raisins of the sun stoned, of licorice two ounces, sweet fennel seeds bruised two ounces and a half, ginger sliced an ounce and a half.
Let them be infused in frigido the space of ten days. Then take them out.
This water sweetened with sugar candy and drunk to the quantity of three or four ounces twice in a day is very good for those that are ptisical. It strengthens the lungs, attenuates thick phlegm, opens obstructions, and is very good to comfort the stomach.
Notes
A medicinal chest/lung water; includes tobacco leaf.
This recipe predates 1700 and is quoted from its original printed source. Spelling is left exactly as printed.
