I saw a recipe for Cardamom & Rose Water Tea Cookies on Facebook and thought I’d like to try it. The recipe says that you can buy rose water in specialty stores, but if you have a rose bush there’s no reason why you can’t make your own rose water.

There are two methods to make rose water, the hot method and the cold method. For both, you want to use either distilled water or spring water. Distilled water is pure water that has had all of the impurities, such as inorganic minerals and metals, removed from it by the process of distillation. Distillation occurs when a liquid is heated to above its boiling point and it turns to steam. The steam is then condensed back into liquid form. Or you can use spring water which is purer than normal tap water. It contains fewer contaminants.

Whichever method you choose to make your rose water, you must first harvest your rose flowers. Harvest them early in the morning after the dew has dried. Pluck off all of the petals and wash them thoroughly to remove any soil or insects.

Or you can use dried rose petals.

Hot Method

Place the rose petals in a pan and fill the pan with water until the water just covers the petals. Bring the water to a boil and allow it to simmer until the petals have lost all of their color. It’s probably best not to use white roses as it will be difficult to know when the roses have lost their color. Strain out the petals and store the liquid in a tightly sealed glass jar.

Cold Method

Place 1 cup of rose petals in a glass jar with a tightly fitted lid and add water until it is 2” above the rose petals. Close the lid and place the jar in a cool, dark place for 2 weeks or until the petals have lost all of their color. Strain out the petals and store the liquid in a tightly sealed glass jar.

Storing your rose water

In the refrigerator, your rose water will last up to a month. Stored in a cool, dark place it will last 7 days.