Rose Oxymel
This is one of my all-time favorite Rose preparations that’s a go-to for me all summer to cool down that fiery Pitta/Fire energy or when I just want a delicious and refreshing beverage that also makes me feel amazing! Oxymels are herbal drinks or sipping vinegars that are made by extracting herbs and/or fruits into a combination of vinegar and honey. The sweetness of the honey cuts the sharpness of the vinegar and the combination creates a sweet, sour, and syrupy drink that is very cooling, making them especially lovely in the summer months. Another great perk of oxymels is that they are true “localvore medicine” since both apple cider vinegar and honey can be sourced locally here in the northeast.
I love mixing Rose Oxymel into iced herbal tea, sparkly water, and sometimes a combination of the two for a truly special summer bevy (I especially love it with Lemon Balm iced tea and seltzer!). It’s so easy to make, and you can make it with any aromatic Rose flower, garden Roses included, although I feel true-to-species Roses, like Rosa multiflora and Rosa rugosa will always be the strongest medicinally. I often mix many different kids of Roses into my oxymel and below is a variety of Roses that went into mine this year. Pick your Roses in the morning for the most concentrated essential oil content- it really makes a difference!
Rose Oxymel
Ingredients:
Apple Cider Vinegar (preferably raw)
Honey (preferably raw)
Fresh or Dried Rose flowers
Directions:
If you’re using FRESH Rose Petals put your Roses in a glass mason jar. You can choose to chop them if you’d like but it’s not necessary. Then cover the Roses about 75% of the way with the apple cider vinegar and the remaining 25% of the way with raw honey, so that the plant material is completely covered. This is kitchen medicine so don’t fret if your percentages aren’t exact! And it’s ok if you’re using crystallized raw honey that doesn’t dissolve right away- it will dissolve in the vinegar in a few days.
Rose Oxymel made with fresh Rose
If you’re making it with DRIED Rose Petals then fill your jar about a quarter to half of the way with the Rose Petals and then add your vinegar and honey at a ratio of approximately 75% vinegar and 25% honey so that you have 2x as much menstruum (the fancy word in herbalism for whatever you’re extracting into- in this case it’s the vinegar/honey mix) by volume as you do Rose petals. For example, if your Rose goes up to the 1 cup line on a mason jar then you’ll want to the vinegar-honey mix level to go up to the 2 cups line on a mason jar. Or, simply, if you have 1 cup of rose petals you’ll want to have 2 cups of your menstruum. It’s ok if you’re using crystallized raw honey that doesn’t dissolve right away- it will dissolve in the vinegar in a few days. You can choose to eyeball the vinegar-honey ratio and add them straight into the jar with the Roses aiming for the 75/25% ratio (remember- this is kitchem medicine and folk medicine-making!) or you can choose to pre-mix the menstruum and pour it over the herbs already mixed.
For both the fresh and dried preparation the next stage of the process is the same. Put a layer of wax paper between the lid and the jar (because vinegar can corrode the lid), shake well, and let macerate for 2-4 weeks, shaking daily if you can remember to. It’s ready in about 2 weeks but if you don’t strain it then it’s fine- the rose petals can stay in there indefinitely, really. You can also eat the Rose Petals once you strain them out because you’ve more or less made pickled Rose Petals! And, lastly, oxymels are shelf stable and do not need to be refrigerated.
Use:
Add to your favorite drinks, iced tea, drizzle on salads and fruits salads, add to seltzer, or just have a spoon full straight! You can also mix it with other oxymels, tinctures, and elixirs for amazing flavor combinations in seltzer or even just added to your water. Medicinally, Rose is amazing heart medicine for both the emotional and physical heart, cooling inflammation and irritation both in the cardiovascular system and also in our mental state and emotions. Basically it’s the best! If you want to read more about the medicine of Rose check out my Wild Rose Medicine post on my blog! Link below. Enjoy all!
