Whoa, that's actually pretty wild about the whale stuff in ice cream. I've totally been there with old recipes. Once I tried to follow a 1700s bread recipe that called for "a pint of good ale yeast" and it was basically a science experiment gone wrong in my kitchen. @noah_webb is right about that homemade chemical thing - my dad used to mix his own wood stain from vinegar and rusty nails back in the 80s. If you're ever tempted to try an old recipe, my advice is to look for substitutes first. The orange flower water part is actually fine and you can still find it at specialty stores, but skip the ambergris unless you want your ice cream tasting like a whale burped on it. Just swap in vanilla or rose water instead and it'll work way better.

The real test is watching them do it with their eyes closed. My aunt measures flour by feel and she's never had a baking disaster in 40 years.