Florida Water is an American version of Eau de Cologne, or Cologne Water. It has the same citrus basis as Cologne Water, but shifts the emphasis to sweet orange (rather than the lemon and neroli of the original Cologne Water), and adds spicy notes including lavender and clove. The name refers to the fabled Fountain of Youth, which was said to be located in Florida, as well as the “flowery” nature of the scent. – Wikipedia

The original version of this so-called unisex cologne was created by Lanman & Kemp Barclay in 1808, and the trademark is held by its successor company Murray & Lanman. Its scent–as I see it–is less intense than the popular Hoyt’s Cologne.

I have no idea whether or not anyone actually uses either Florida Water or Hoyt’s as colognes. I suppose so.  I became aware of these colognes while researching my Florida Hold Magic Series since both products are used in hoodoo spells.

According to Catherine Yronwode’s handy Hoodoo Herb and Root Magic, Florida Water has been used as an offering to the dead and has other magic uses when Used in combination with various herbs.

She notes on her Lucky Mojo site that, “Both Florida Water and Kananga Water are widely used in rituals of home protection and spiritual cleaning, to scent bowls of water set out for the spirits of the dead, as a basis for making an ink-dyed scrying water, and for other ritual and cosmetic purposes among people of African-diaspora descent in the United States and the Caribbean. A third 19th century commercial perfume with a long history of magical associations is Hoyt’s Cologne, which is used among African-American hoodoo practitioners to draw gambling luck.”

You can make your own by combing vodka, aromatic greens, florals, citus, and spice. You can find the recipe here. For a list of spiritual uses of Florida Water, check this site.

Uses and recipes vary and since a writer rather than a conjurer, I’m not making any personal recommendations.

—Malcolm