Clary Sage

Current Uses

Clary sage turns up in craft beverage circles mostly for its aromatic lift and unique flavor complexity. Distilled oils and hydrosols from the flowering tops and leaves are used sparingly to lend a muscat-like aroma in vermouths, fortified wines, and herbal liqueurs, enhancing botanical layers rather than contributing classic bitterness. It was once added with elderflowers to Rhine wines to mimic Muscatel — a practice still noted in traditional accounts. The Good Scents Company

Beyond drinks, distilled clary sage oil is widely used in perfumery and aromatics industries as a fixative and scent note, and herbalists value infusions and tinctures as traditional digestive aids or relaxants after heavy meals.

Prized for its aromatic qualities, clary sage is used primarily in the perfumery industry. It is used in lesser quantity by vermouth, wine, and liqueur manufacturers to give spirits an aromatic lift.

Clary sage provokes thoughtful concentration and elevated mood when used as an essential oil in aromatherapy.

Precautions

Clary sage essential oil is potent. Traditional sources warn against internal use of concentrated essential oil without proper guidance and note that it should not be used during pregnancy. Kelley Pure Essential Oils Herbal advice from older materia medica also suggests moderation; essential oils can be intoxicating and strong in effect.

Substitutions

If you don’t have clary sage on hand but want a similar aromatic profile in cocktails or bittering blends:

• Muscadine or Muscat grape essences — for that muscat-like, aromatic sweetness.

• Lavender or lemon balm — softer floral/green notes.

• Angelica seed or root — complex aromatics that play well in vermouth or amaro blends.

These won’t be identical, but they’ll contribute nuanced top notes that play well with herbaceous spirits and fortified blends.

History

Clary sage has a storied past across Europe and the Mediterranean. Its name comes from the Latin clarus (“clear”), tied to a centuries-old practice of using its seeds to clear grit from the eyes. The Good Scents Company By the 16th century it was cultivated in England and Germany where merchants and brewers used it to adulterate or flavor beer, and German wine growers added it to youth wines to create a “Muscatel” effect. The Good Scents Company Over time, it moved from folk remedies and local beverage practice into perfumery and global essential oil markets.

Mentioned in Nicholas Culpepper’s Complete Herbal (1653) to have been used as a way to clear the eyes by using the mucilaginous coating surrounding the seed to attract foreign objects.

Footnotes

1. Natural Compounds. “Salvia sclarea – Natural Compounds.” NaturalCompounds.org, https://www.naturalcompounds.org/Featured-Extracts/Salvia-sclarea.html. Accessed Jan. 2026.
2. Clary Sage. The Good Scents Company Crop Spotlight, July 2021, https://www.thegoodscentscompany.com/data2/CropSpotlightJuly2021ClarySage.pdf. Accessed Jan. 2026.
3. Herb & Vine. Clary Sage (Salvia sclarea) Growing & Uses, https://herb-and-vine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Clary-Sage-HerbandVine.pdf. Accessed Jan. 2026.
4. Plantaire DB. “Salvia sclarea in Genus Salvia.” PlantaEDB.com, https://plantaedb.com/taxa/phylum/angiosperms/order/lamiales/family/lamiaceae/genus/salvia/species/salvia-sclarea. Accessed Jan. 2026.