History & Traditions
Florida Water: History, Traditions & Uses
A Fragrance With a Story
Florida Water began as a fragrant cologne introduced in New York City in 1808 by perfumer Robert I. Murray. Known for its refreshing citrus and floral notes, it eventually found a place far beyond the perfume counter.
Today, Florida Water is commonly used in spiritual practices for cleansing, blessing, protection, and setting intentions.
But while the bottled cologne has a documented beginning, the traditions of working with herbs, flowers, fragrant waters, and natural ingredients have a much longer history.
Before exploring that history, I want to share how I prepare my own Florida Water.
My Florida Water Recipe
Botanical measurements are approximate references; they do not need to be exact. Follow the vodka and safety guidance.
Citrus
- Orange peel — 4 peels
- Lemon peel — 3 peels
- Lime peel — 3 peels
Fresh herbs
- Rosemary — 2 stems
- Basil — 2 stems
- Thyme — 2 stems
- Mint — 2 stems
- Bay leaves — 3–5 leaves
Flowers and spices
- Lavender — ¼ cup
- Chamomile — ¼ cup
- Red rose petals — petals from 7 rose heads
- Cinnamon sticks — 4 sticks
- Whole cloves — ¼ cup
- Star anise — ¼ cup
Additional
- Pink Himalayan salt — 1 tsp
- Vodka (80–100 proof) — enough to fully cover all ingredients in the jar
Optional Personal Additions
- Essential oils
- My homemade intention oil
I incorporated essential oils and my homemade intention oil into my personal preparation. Specific varieties, measurements, and addition instructions are not documented in the approved guide. Oil-based additions may separate from the alcohol mixture.
Preparation
- Wash jars, lids, and tools with hot soapy water, then dry fully. Prepare the botanicals; use citrus peel rather than fruit flesh.
- Place the prepared botanicals in a clean, fully dry glass jar, leaving room for the vodka.
- Pour in 80–100 proof vodka to cover all botanicals. No added water is needed. Do not substitute water, witch hazel, or grain alcohol.
- Close tightly. Label with the ingredients, vodka proof, and preparation date.
- Keep cool and dark for a suggested 3–5 weeks, gently swirling the closed jar every few days. Keep all botanicals covered with vodka. This timing is an aroma guideline, not a tested preservation period. Never taste the infusion.
- Strain through clean fine mesh or cheesecloth into a clean, dry vessel. Filter again if particles remain. Bottle in clean, dry glass, label, and date. Store tightly closed, cool, dark, and away from flames. The blend has no tested shelf life.
Common Uses of Florida Water
These are traditional beliefs and personal spiritual practices, not scientifically proven effects. Practices vary across communities and individuals.
Spiritual Cleansing
Some people include Florida Water in symbolic cleansing rituals as a way to mark a fresh start or focus on what they want to release.
Preparing a Space
Fragrant waters may accompany tidying and preparing a room for spiritual work. The practice can signal a transition into a quieter, more intentional space.
Prayer and Intention
Florida Water can be part of reflection, prayer, blessings, or intention-setting. Its meaning comes from the person and the tradition guiding the practice.
Personal Spiritual Practices
For some, a botanical preparation becomes a familiar part of everyday spiritual routines: a moment to pause, reflect, and reconnect with personal intentions.
Safety: For non-ingestible, symbolic use only. Do not drink, use as a disinfectant, or apply this untested homemade preparation directly to skin or bath water. Alcohol is flammable: keep the mixture away from candles, heat, and ignition sources. Store securely away from children and pets. Alcohol and botanicals may stain or damage finishes; avoid delicate surfaces and test material compatibility in an inconspicuous area.
Before the Bottle: Honoring the Traditions
Long before Florida Water was sold commercially, people across the world were preparing botanical mixtures for everyday living.
Herbs were gathered for bathing, flowers were steeped into fragrant waters, and plants were incorporated into cultural ceremonies, spiritual practices, and household traditions.
Within African diasporic traditions, including Hoodoo and Vodou, botanical preparations have held important places in spiritual life. Indigenous communities have their own longstanding relationships with plants, while traditions such as Latin American curanderismo preserve distinct approaches to herbal knowledge, cleansing, and healing.
These practices are not interchangeable. Each carries its own history, meaning, and relationship to the communities that preserve it.
And much of this knowledge was passed down through families, communities, and generations, sometimes without ever appearing in a written record.
That is something worth remembering.
When we prepare our own Florida Water today, we have an opportunity to acknowledge the people who came before us.
We can appreciate the plants, learn about the traditions surrounding them, and recognize that the knowledge we draw inspiration from did not begin with us.
For me, making Florida Water is about more than combining ingredients. It’s about bringing intention into something simple while remembering that we are continuing a much larger conversation between people, plants, culture, and tradition.
Explore the Story Beyond the Bottle
There’s so much more to Florida Water than its fragrance. Explore its history, cultural connections, traditional uses, and the ingredients that make it meaningful in my free Florida Water guide.
