Making some Oxymel, Old School Infusions

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rubido682.332 years agoPeakD6 min read

You Rang?

Time to break out the chemistry set and see what kinda trouble I can get into. Can you make Honey and Apple cider Vinegar explode?

Lets Find Out!

Well well well, I appear to have been summoned and here I am. Tonight Imma Flex My Full IQ of Negative 15.

The Humble Oxymel or Oxymellis Simplicis. Now, where to start?

What can you do with a Medicine that's over 2000 years old?

The Idea not what I made, I honestly don't have time travel capabilities.

Even Hippocrates prescribed to the Methodology and medicinal properties of this mix.

My first personal encounter with this idea was while doing Research 6 years ago into natural treatments for Breast cancer. I had My reasons.

Using a mixture of classical and eastern medicine we (Me and @iaura) made a Hybrid mixture.

So Today with much more knowledge on the topic in tow I'm going to revisit the medicinal side, and then just for fun I'm Going to knock up a tasty condiment.

For our health Tonic Oxymel we are going to use a classic Reduction technique that appears to be one of the oldest methods.

Followed by a long steeping process to extract our desired Mixture.

First off your going to want to sterilise your jar of choice. I just rinse it with boiling water out of the kettle.

I like the classic flip top type of jar for ease of use.

Then bang the following into a Saucepan and get ready to stink out the house. If you don't hear What the fuck is that smell being shouted from the next room you done this step wrong.

1 Part Apple Cider Vinegar (400ml)
1 Part Water (400ml)
1 Part Natural Honey (You guessed it, 400ml)

This is enough to make 900ml of finished product. The good shit.

Simmer that on the stove top until its reduced by 1/4 of its volume, Or approx. 900ml. Scoop any Muck off as it simmers.

What you I forgot the pictures?

Now While you got all that goodness evaporating into thin air prepare your steeping ingredients.

I'm using-
Fresh Ginger
Fresh Turmeric
Fresh Green Peppercorns
Lemongrass
Cracked Black pepper
Chilli Pepper
Coriander Root

Lets get down to my reasoning here on these choices.

Fresh Turmeric is full of curcuminoids which have been studied and proven to be a strong antioxidant with anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and anti-fungal properties and Ginger boasts an equal set of beneficial effects with added support to cardiovascular health.

The black pepper corn contains Piperine which is a good all round Aid for Headaches, Nausea, and also has mild anti-inflammatory properties. The Piperine is shown in many studies to be a potent enhancer in Combination with both the Ginger and Turmeric, With some studies even showing it can drastically reduce the effects of some cancers and limit the side effects of cancer treatments.

The rest has been added to boost the immune system using traditional medical logic. By extracting the largest array of antioxidants and beneficial compounds, and concentrating a group of non combative herbs, it should provide the best level of effective use. As a curative or preventative.

That's my logic anyway.

The heating and reduction process is to remove Impurities in the Honey and allow a thorough extraction of every last bit of goodness in the Plants.

In 3-4 weeks Time It will be heated in its entirety again and strained through cheese cloth. Afterwards it will be used to keep the immune system boosted and it even makes an amazing addition to certain cocktails. A Tablespoon a Day MIGHT keep the doctor away.

Does it work? I cant honestly say, Cause as previously stated- Not a Doctor.

Most of the ingredients have been used medicinally for as far back as we have recorded medicine. In India, China, and the west each of these ingredients have been shown to compliment each other in a number of studies.

Fuck You Rubido, does it Work!

Well, Only time will tell.

So That sums up My take on the traditional Oxymel, Now lets make some sauce.

RUBIDOS BURNING BUSH

And My science teacher said Id Never be good at anything other than cooking Meth.

Now For some Fun, I like to make my own hot sauce. Apple Cider Based Oxymel solutions are great carriers for Capsicum and The heat extracted from Chilli Peppers.

I'm using a method that originates with the Aztecs and was Modernised with Tabasco. It has roots In Africa, and branches into the everyday fibre of many cultures.

So here we go, Get Ready for My Burning Bush Hot Sauce.

2 Parts Vinegar (350ml)
1 Part Honey(125ml)
A few tablespoons of water

Once again bang it in a saucepan.

Heat the mixture to a simmer and remove any muck that floats on top.

Now you can leave this to simmer while you Prepare your Chilli Peppers and Ingredients.

I've used Birds Eye Chilli, Scotch Bonnet, Piment d'Espelette, Fresh Green peppercorns, Cracked Black Peppercorns, Yellow Mustard seeds, fresh coriander leaf, Garlic and Ginger I also added a Tablespoon of smoked Paprika to the blend at the end.

I got a fair few Pestle and mortars for different task. I tend to stick to the stone for powders and the Japanese ceramic for pastes.

Equally you can use a food processor, but it doesn't extract as much flavour.

All Pureed in there, ready to get toasty in the pan.

Add this to the simmering Vinegar and Honey. Turn of the heat and Leave it to infuse for 20 Minutes with the heat turned off.

Once you've prepped everything pour it into your sterilised jar and leave it to blend for a Month or so in a cool dark place. Shake it around every few days.

Then strain, bottle and enjoy.

Trust me you wont regret it.

You want Scoville scale and Flavour this works in every capacity.

What do you mean whys it called burning bush? Well if you happen to be taking a few dabs on your finger for a taste test... Do not go for a Pee without washing your hands.

Nuff Said

Oh and Just for the sake of potential curiosity, Why do I add water? Well boiling neat vinegar causes an increase in Acetic acid concentration, Acetic acid has a higher boiling point than water vapor, hence water vapor boils off leaving the acid content largely unchanged until an equillibriam is reached.

So the resulting mixture with neat Cider Vinegar could pass the thresholds of being beneficial and actually become too harsh on the stomach. Causing more problems than assistance.

YAY science.

So thanks for joining me on this little experiment. I hope you had as much fun reading as I did makin this.

So From me to you, Good health, may you prosper, and dont play with anything you don't fully understand. Same as in the crypto world, DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH!