Page 52 - The Flickering Cauldron Magazine - May 2022

punishment penalty as a bartering tool? I suspect in the 14th Century anything is possible for them to get what they wanted, desperate times and all that. It was still extreme, but without being a fly on that wall, it's something no one can ever prove.
This I should imagine would not happen in the 18th Century irrelevant of desperate times, but how can one prove it didn’t, you can’t in this case.
Diversifying! In the late 18th Century all death penalty variations of punishment were abolished and replaced with the infamous Guillotine. The death penalty was not abolished in France until 1981, with the last person being put to death in 1977.
So, looking at all the facts, our conclusion is that this tale of how ‘four thieves vinegar’ originated is more than likely more myth than fact, and is most likely a combination of different stories which evolved and was tweaked as it was repeated through the centuries, omitting minor details.
Nevertheless, one cannot discount it!
Bottom line, the mixture scientifically is proven to work as a repellent. So it is not surprising it is used as a powerful ingredient in magical workings and rituals.
Let's look at how you can make it...
There are lots of variations of a modern day ‘four thieves vinegar’ but here is our variation on how we would make it at Flickering HQ.
An airtight bottle or large jar to fit all your ingredients in, with preferably a plastic or glass lid/ stopper. Vinegar will corrode metal and any metallic coating on other lids. Glass topped Mason jars or preserve jars are ideal. A plastic funnel.
Your ingredients
16 fl oz of White Wine Vinegar
Easily found on supermarket shelves or the Internet. Do not substitute with white vinegar,
they are not the same.
If you do need to substitute, use Apple Cider Vinegar.
10 crushed Clove buds
3 sprigs of fresh Sage
3 Bay Leaves
3 fresh sprigs of Lavender
3 sprigs of fresh Rosemary
2 teaspoons dried Rosemary
2 teaspoons of dried Sage leaves
1 teaspoon of dried Wormwood
1 teaspoon of dried Rue
1 teaspoon of dried Meadowsweet
1 teaspoon of dried Angelica
1 teaspoon of Cinnamon bark
1 bulb of fresh Garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon Black Pepper seed, crushed
What next...
Put all your dried ingredients into a bowl and mix them up, add your black pepper seeds, chopped garlic, cloves and cinnamon bark and combine them.
Now transfer this to your bottle or mason jar using your funnel.
Add in the sprigs of rosemary and the bay leaves.
Then pour in your white wine vinegar. Put on your lid and seal it tight.
Place it in a dark cupboard for 3 to 4 weeks to allow it to steep and infuse all together, taking it out once a day to give it a gentle shake to wake it up and keep the herbs and vinegar mixed.
When ready, depending on what you are using it for, you can either use as is or you can strain the contents using a sieve and layered cheesecloth. Then bottle the liquid, preferably in a dark jar or bottle, and place it where it is protected from the light.
Make sure either way your bottle is labelled.
52 | The Flickering Cauldron® Magazine - Four Thieves Vinegar