I’m making some Nutmeg (Myristica fragrans – even the taxonomic name is beautiful) glycerite…yum! Nutmeg is one of those wonder herbs that come from one of the countries Pauline doesn’t like, but to me, it’s a godsend.
I like the taste of it in my home brewed water based Chai every morning but sadly, the constituent that mostly gives Nutmeg its healing properties- Myristicin (even the name sounds exotic and mysterious) isn’t water soluble.
I tried macerating Nutmeg that I’d freshly ground myself in a little oil and added it, but the oil floats straight to the top, and the taste and healing don’t flow through the whole brew.
So I gots to thinking, and the thinking came up with thoughts of glycerine. That sweet drop acts somewhere between alcohol and an oil and will dissolve the myrsticin and other constituents quite well.
To make a glycerite, you need to add a dash of water to it, and that means you get anything water soluble out of the Nutmeg, too.
Glycerine is only moderately good at extracting some compounds so this will take a while. I’ll leave it a fortnight on my little heat pad and see what brews.
A few drops added to my chai should work…hmmm…I’ll let you know…
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