How to Make Wintergreen Alcohol

Wintergreen alcohol can be made easily at home. The method used is similar to making an herbal tincture or liniment, but cannot be consumed internally. Fresh wintergreen leaves are used to give rubbing alcohol a more pleasant aroma, and to add some of their healing power to the liquid. This recipe yields approximately one liter of wintergreen alcohol.

Things You'll Need

• Fresh wintergreen leaves
• Liter sized Mason jar with lid
• Rubbing alcohol
• Paper bag
• Cheesecloth
• Clean jar or dark colored bottle
• Labels

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Instructions

• 1

  Chop 10 oz. (300 grams) fresh wintergreen leaves, bruising them slightly to release the natural oils. Use the back of a spoon to bruise them after chopping by pressing on them gently.

• 2

  Place the chopped and bruised wintergreen leaves into a liter sized Mason jar. Fill the jar with rubbing alcohol until it is about one inch from the top.

• 3

  Place the lid on the Mason jar and seal it tightly so that none of the liquid can evaporate or leak out. Place the jar in a paper bag, and put in a cool, dark area such as a kitchen cabinet.

• 4

  Allow the wintergreen alcohol to sit for two weeks. Shake the jar once per day, every day, at the same time each day if possible, until the two weeks have passed.

• 5

  Pour the wintergreen alcohol through a piece of cheesecloth into a clean jar or dark colored bottle. Squeeze the wintergreen leaves to extract any remaining liquid.

• 6

  Seal the storage container by placing the lid or cork on tightly. Label the bottle with the contents, and store in a cool, dry place. The wintergreen alcohol will keep for up to two years, if stored properly.