As a kid, I played baseball as much as kids do now — tournament baseball with six games on the weekend. Summers in Arkansas were tortured with the heat during the day and again at night when the mosquitoes would make you think it was raining as you drove through the country towns to your next game.
I played with a guy named something Scroggins (I don’t remember exactly, but I think that’s it). He was a pitcher. That’s pretty much all I remember him doing. He wasn’t particularly significant, but his mom was. She’d bring a cooler and set it in our dugout during those miserable summer games. What lay in that cooler might as well have been Slurpees because it was what we all needed to beat the heat. As an adult, a coach, and a player even, I remembered that cooler with the fondest of memories, never knowing what was in there that was so refreshing. Well, after some research, I found the recipe. Let me introduce you to Florida Water if you want to keep your kid fresh and feeling amazing when it’s 100+ degrees outside.
RECIPE FOR FLORIDA WATER
Ammonia spirits, water, ice, and washcloths, are all it takes to make the summer heat tolerable. You should buy this stuff now because once the secret is out, you will have difficulty finding them once the heat hits.
- 2oz. bottle of “Spirits of Ammonia” or “Camphor Spirits”
- You can purchase camphor spirits on Amazon
- Remember, when the weather heats up, it’s pretty scarce.
3 bottles of spirits make 4 gallons of this cooling concoction.
- 1 gal. plastic bucket or this insulated cooler, which will keep the ice for at least 24 hours
- About 4-7 washcloths. OR you can order the towels above.
Fill a bucket 1/2 full of ice, pour 3/4 bottle of “spirits of ammonia” into the cooler for each gallon, fill the rest with water, and mix. Place washcloths into the cooler and stir around a couple of times.
HOW TO USE FLORIDA WATER
When a player comes off the field and into the dugout area, pick up a washcloth, wring out the excess, and then wipe down arms, face (DON’T suck on washcloth), neck (front and back), shoulders, chest, etc. It is effective while held on the back of the neck, especially for catchers and pitchers. Believe me when I say everyone will benefit. Don’t inhale to a great degree, only mildly. Do this between innings, and the team will beg for it the next day.