Every act of coupling has a unique quality and whether or not it is intended, the potential for creating new life is written into the physical expression of affection. In that tide of energy, identities are exchanged, traded and temporarily obliterated.
Each person emerges slightly different, yet more themselves than they were before. How could one not try to pierce that mystery by engaging the sense of taste?
Ingredients:
Say the phrase “love potion” to Chef Susan Baldassano and she recollects her days at Angelica Kitchen, where the staff and the patrons partook of a mysterious brew called Love Potion No. 99.
The name pays tribute to aphrodisiac elixirs and brews with flavors shaped by warm spices, as well as fruits, herbs and spices with hints of aldehydic qualities.
It isn't difficult to imagine perfumer Ernest Beaux taking a break from playing with aldehyde molecules while formulating Chanel No. 5, and partaking of Love Potion No. 99 when he was off the lab bench.
The intention of the elixir has nothing to do with the scent of freshly scrubbed skin that inspired Chanel No. 5. It's a complementary contrast, which is as it should be.
- 6 cups apple or pomegranate juice
- 2 cups water 2 tablespoons sugar/honey
- 1 oz. (30g) rose petals (food grade) or 1-2 tsp rosewater
- 1 stick Ceylon cinnamon (Cinnamomum vera)
- ¼ oz. (7g) lavender blossoms (food grade)
- ¼ oz. (7g) whole nutmeg
- ¼ oz. (7g) whole Ceylon cloves
- ¼ oz. (7g) candied ginger
- 2 whole star anise
- ¼ tsp. orange peel
- ¼ vanilla bean or 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions:
- Simmer juice, water and sweetener. Do not boil as this will produce cloudiness.
- Put all herbs and spices in a cheesecloth and steep for seven minutes.
- Remove from heat.
- Strain liquid from the cheesecloth to extract the flavors.
- Serve warm or refrigerate.
Notes:
Chef Susan Baldassano, a graduate of the New York Institute for Culinary Education, has been a cooking instructor for over 30 years. She also served as Director of Education at the Natural Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts, in New York City.
Chanel No. 5 is famous for its sparkling aldehydic qualities. If you're a Chanel No. 5 fan you'll want to read these popular posts on Glass Petal Smoke: Why Chanel No. 5 Smells like Babies, Perfume Memories: Chanel No. 5, and Smell & Tell Lectures: Three Years and Counting (2015) (this article includes a video presentation of a beloved Smell & Tell titled Chanel No. 5: The Art and Science of a Timeless Perfume).
Painting of Odalisque with an Orange by Angélique Bègue (2014).
