Because the scent was inexpensive, readily
available and socially endorsed, it became a perfume useful for making any
environment pleasant to the visitation of ancestral spirits. Over time, it
became the scent necessary for attraction of all things positive.
The Lanman and Kemp-Barclay company has been the
largest commercial producer of the eau de toilette for two hundred years. The
Lanman and Kemp-Barclay history page states that the name of this scent is
derived from the fabled fountain of youth that Spanish explorers believed was
present in Florida . Since that time the name “Florida Water” has become a protected trademark. In 1901, Lanman and Kemp Barclay
sued another producer and secured a trademark of the name, “Florida Water.” Unfortunately,
the name “Florida Water” is no longer a suitable title for what once was a cultural blend, because if you attempt to sell your cultural blend, you are breaking the law. A new name of the classic blend might be found by
returning to the apothecary tradition of using Latin descriptors to name
compounds. The Latin phrase “aqua florida ”
means “blooming water.”
Like many inexpensive perfumes of today, manufacturers
no longer use pure essential oils and clean solvents. Instead, chemical-laced denatured solvents and artificial “fragrances” are all that companies are willing to
provide. Those who seek a quality product, free of the “fake” smell present in
manufactured florida
water, have no other option than to make the scent themselves.
A popular contemporary proponent and teacher of
hoodoo practices features heavily the use of the artificial product in her writings.
Naturally, she offers the manufactured scent for sale in her store. I am left
to wonder how any magickal working is supposed to feel powerful by virtue of
the special meaning placed on the ceremony, when the atmosphere is scented by
an artificial and cheaply produced bottle of chemicals rather than a
painstakingly produced bouquet of natural essences.
The writer’s hoodoo information site provides a
recipe for florida
water, for those who feel interested in making their own. Her formula is widely
copied throughout cyberspace with little consideration for the validity of the
formula, or any credit that should be due the author. My own survey of historic florida water recipes
leaves me with the idea that her recipe, which is from 1937, is somewhat non-traditional,
if not slightly misleading. The recipe includes both musk and jasmine, two
scents which are possibly disagreeable in florida water.
For florida
water to be truly unisex, as was proposed in Victorian manuals of etiquette,
excessively flowery notes could not predominate. The blend was touted as a
summer refresher and skin tonic, which would have been inappropriate for use by
the working gentleman if flowery notes predominated. In the May 26, 1902 issue
of The America Druggist and Pharmaceutical Record, this opinion is efficiently stated on p.
280:
Some of the ingredients often seen in formulas and the use of
which are to be avoided, are musk, rose, rose geranium, citronella, orris and
the floral odors from pomade washings of their synthetic equivalents. The
addition of these sometimes gives an odor that is positively disagreeable and
invariably impart a cloying quality or heaviness that effectively kills the
refreshing odor that should be a characteristic of a good Florida Water.
The earliest Florida Water recipe I found came
from the Canadian Pharmaceutical Journal, November, 1875. That recipe had only
six scents, the most minor of which was musk. I found musk present in ten (plus one suggesting it be optional) out of forty four recipes between the years of
1875 and 1920. Rose was present in only twelve of the recipes and jasmine in
only one. Compare this with bergamot, which is present in all but five recipes,
and lavender, which is missing in only one recipe, and these flowery scents
become unnecessary and forgettable.
In the September 1902 issue of American Druggist
and Pharmaceutical Record, another formula is given on p. 186 with the notice
that “Florida Water is simply a spiced lavender water.” That recipe adds some
surprising notes of caraway and spearmint, all of which would create a cooling
affect in summer, while adding a spicy note by way of a scent less sharp than
cinnamon or clove.
The only scents that are clearly common to most of
the recipes are citrus in the largest quantity (made up of combinations of bergamot,
lemon, orange, and neroli), lavender, and a spicy note (often cinnamon and/or
clove, but possibly others). In all cases, the citrus maintains a greater proportion of the final product than lavender. Unusual
additions include rosemary, thyme, turmeric, balsam, and melissa.
Below is an example recipe that adequately
represents the minimum necessary components, in typical proportions, to allow
one to make a basic version of florida
water, or rather, “Aqua Florida.” This recipe comes from the Canadian
Pharmaceutical Journal of September 1878. Additional notes can be blended into
the bouquet if the reader desires to personalize the preparation. Proportions
are given as published, but are also shown reduced to 1/32nd of the
original to allow for a personal-sized batch to be made. For those who fancy
themselves an armchair druggist, the provided conversion into milliliters will
permit division to any size. It should be noted that one “drop” was typically equivalent to one minim; greater accuracy to the minim is thus achieved by using a bulb
dropper, rather than the drop applicator built into the necks of commercial essential
oil bottles.
Original 1/32nd SU
Oil bergamot 4 fl. ounces 60 drops 118.4
ml
Oil lemon 6 fl. ounces 90 drops 177.6 ml
Oil cloves 6
drachms 11 drops 22.2 ml
Oil cinnamon 6
drachms 11 drops 22.2 ml
Oil lavender 1 fl. ounce 15 drops 29.6 ml
Alcohol (pure ethanol) 3
½ gallons 14 fl. ounces 13,244 ml
Aqua (distilled water) 6
pints 3 fl. ounces 2,838 ml
Total Yeild: 4.35
gallons 17.37 fl. ounces 16,452 ml
Mix the oils into the alcohol and
shake to blend. After two days, add the water. Keep away from strong light. The blend grows better with age. For external use only.
