To Make Sinamom Water

Here is the original recipe from 1587 written by Thomas Dawson in The Good Huswife's Jewell:

To make Sinamom water.

TAke Rennish wine a quart, or Spanish wine a pint, rose water a pint & a halfe, Sinamom brused a pound and a halfe, let these stand infused the space of foure and twentie houres, then destill it, and beeing close stopped and luted, then with a soft fire destill the same softly in a Limbeck of glasse and receiue the first water by it selfe.
Also if ye be so disposed to make the same water weaker, take thrée pints of rose wa∣ter, and a pint and a halfe of Rennish wine, and so distill the same, and you shall haue to the qualitie of stuffe the quantie of the wa∣ter, which is three pints, but the first is best, and so reserue it to your vse both morning and euening.



Rennish wine is a German white or rose wine from the Rhine river area. A Riesling would work for this purpose. A quart equals 4 cups. For the rosewater, a pint and half equals 3 cups. To bruise cinnamon, pound it with a mortar and pestle. A pound and a half of cinnamon equals approximately 6 cups.