The name Alchymiae

Where does our name come from?

Given our shared love of history, it was obvious to choose a historically inspired name. Alchymiae can be traced back directly to the alchemists of old, mythological figures who tried to turn lead into gold, create an elixir of immortality or a medicine that could cure anything.

We ourselves may not be looking for a way to turn lead into gold, but we are looking for our "elixir of life". That's why this name feels right. Exactly where does alchymiae come from? That's where it gets a little technical.

Alchymiae is a conjugation of the medieval Latin word, alchimia, which in turn is a loan word from Arabic: 'al-kīmiyāʾ. Where the Arabs got their word, we are not sure.
Perhaps it comes from the Egyptian word for black earth kēme. If that is correct, then the Arabic word 'al-kīmiyā' can be roughly translated as "the Egyptian science".
A second possibility is that it derives from the ancient Greek 'khēmeía' (χημεία), meaning alchemy or the alloying of metals. 

Alchemy and the more commonly known chemistry, have a common basis. In the beginning there was no distinction between the two. Today we do make the distinction whereby alchemy has always stayed within the realm of the mystical and chemistry is now the generally accepted scientific branch of this art.

As the ancient alchemists, we too are concerned with processes that transform a substance into something new. Through fermentation, distillation and maceration, we are going to make or transfer flavors from one substance to another in order to achieve the desired end product.
Maybe it's not gold, but we're still a bit of an alchemist?