The Milk Water Lober Browne

This recipe dates to around 1700, a period when distilling floral and herbal waters was common in both domestic medicine and refined household kitchens. The 'Lober Browne' is likely an aromatic medicinal or restorative 'milk water,' valued for its gentle herbs like cowslip, borage, and balm, associated with calming and restorative properties, and was probably consumed as a cordial or tonic. Such recipes stem from a transitional era—late Stuart and early Georgian England—where folk remedies met increasing scientific curiosity, and country households often maintained their own still rooms for making distilled waters, cordials, and medicines.

Back in 1700, this recipe would have been prepared using a 'common still,' typically a copper alembic or simple pot still, heated over a hearth fire. Herbs and liquids were placed in the body of the still, liquid was gently heated, and the resultant aromatic vapor was condensed and collected in a receiving vessel. The process required careful tending for even heating and safe condensation. Tools would also include a large earthenware or copper pot for mixing, sharp knives for slicing nutmeg, and muslin or cloth for straining the final water.