Fragrances For… an Olfactory Oktoberfest

With Oktoberfest soon to begin, the boozy celebrations needn’t always be searched for at the bottom of a glass – that warming swirl of unctious softness and comfort, together with succulent fruitiness, oak-smoked woodiness and even the sparkle of ice cracking in a cool tumbler of something lovely can be found in fragrant form. Settle down for a scented session with these…

 

 

 

 

 

4160 Tuesdays Captured By Candlelight
Always a perfumer with a story to tell, Sarah McCartney weaves a mysteriously evocative tale in uniquely fragrant form with flaming brandy-soaked fruits, a wood-panelled dining room, softly dripping wax candles and the tingling sense of anticipation that precedes a country house party. If you order the 100ml bottle size from the 4160 Tuesdays website, they’ll even send you an accompanying story written especially for the scent – a feast for all the senses

£127.50 for 100ml eau de parfum The Perfume Society Shop

 

 

 

 

KILIAN_ANGELS_SHARE

Kilian Angels’ Share
Founder Kilian Hennessy maintains that he is introducing a new fragrance family here – which he should label ‘boozy’, as a reflection of its intoxicating qualities (inspired by his own family heritage). Perfumer Benoist Lapouza takes a jigger of cognac essence, adds oak absolute (an echo of the barrels themselves), spiced by cinnamon essence, tonka bean, praline and vanilla. Family-wise, we’d still position this hovering between Ambrée and gourmand – but we’re certain of its irresistibility.

From £165 for 50ml parfum bykilian.co.uk

 

 

 

Dunhill Icon Elite
Appealing to his bohemian spirit, this tobacco-laden scent speaks of long liquid lunches in smoky French brasseries padded with faded leather and panelled in dark wood. Musky Cuban cascarilla oil is pierced by the piquancy of pimento berries and a cool shot of pine needles with herbaceously aromatic sage. The gently smouldering base of Malaysian patchouli gets comfortable with a boozy cherry-like sweetness of the toasty tonka beans – perfect for the dad who rather fancies himself as an undiscovered artist.

£63 for 50ml eau de parfum houseoffraser.co.uk

 

 

 

Penhaligon’s Juniper Sling
A sparkling, tall glass of gin that cracks as the ice succumbs to the fresh piquancy of juniper (gin’s ‘signature’ aromatic), then there’s cool measures of angelica and brandy plus the deeper throb of and a beating libertine’s heart in heat-tingled flecks of black pepper popping in the background. Evoking the ‘bright young things’ of the 1920’s, it’s become a modern classic go-to for effervesent, effortless day-wear with oodles of character and a refreshingly different presence that you’ll simply never tire of.

£155 for 100ml eau de toilette penhaligons.com

 

 

 

ILK Libertine
Indulge your inner libertine with this oppulent, swagger of a scent, inspired by Cassonova himself. You can smell his favourite tipple, ‘cordial orgeat,’ through dusky cognac-infused rose and bitter orange flower, with a saffron-soaked throb of leather, hot wax, animalic cumin lashed to the darker base of amber and deep woods.Fanning the flames of passion with that boozy swirl of pure licentiousness it’s one of those scents that draws people to you, intrigued yet perhaps slightly in trepedation of your swaggering sexiness!

£125 for 50ml eau de parfum ilkperfume.com

 

Written by Suzy Nightingale

6 cocktail-inspired scent trends you have to try

Sitting in the sunshine and sipping a glass (or three) of something thirst-quenching is just the thing – and perfumers seem similarly inclined. If you’re planning a holiday, or simply enjoying our own (currently clement!) weather, this is definitely the time to change-up your fragrance game and perhaps consider one of these cocktail-inspired scents…

We might as well start as we mean to go on, so fancy something fruity? Zara have added three new fragrances with a Cocktail Collection (how apropos), encompassing three favourite tipples: Cherry Sling, Peach Margarita and Sweet Daiquiri. Peony, peach and pear; melon, rose and musk or nashi pear, bamboo and lotus: whichever you choose, these are joyfully exuberant (and very pocket-friendly!) ways to wear the trend.

Zara Cocktail Collection £9.99 for 200ml eau de toilette
Buy them at zara.com

For those who prefer their snifters a bit more straight-up, the cool, clear crackle of ice in a crystal tumbler is wonderfully evoked by perfumer Sidonie Lancesseur. A side order of chilled cardamom and coriander fizz pleasingly with aldehydes as bitter rhubarb accord, a splash of clear rose and lily of the valley swirl with leather, sandalwood and oakmoss. Distinctly dashing.

By Kilian Vodka on the Rocks £215 for 100ml eau de parfum
At bykilian.co.uk

Peach schnapps with lychee and crystalised rose petals? Lalique‘s Rêve d’Infini sees us sipping iced martinis in a fabulous Art-Nouveau hotel. Love a drop of rum? Swashbuckler’s should head for the exotic Atkinsons Pirates Grand Reserve, while those more clasically inclined may wish to wear a Chambord and Champagne-like mix in Vince Camuto‘s Amore. Explore all of these (and many more) in this unashamedly decadent Discovery Box…

The Velvet Collection £19 (£15 for VIP Subscribers)
At our shop

Many perfume-lovers seem to share a love for gin – perhaps it’s the wonderful array of botanicals that are now being used to infuse various small-batch brands, so reminiscent of the way fragrances are made? For fellow gin-lovers, this is now an absolute classic – a crisply refined cocktail on a pleasingly debauched base of black cherry, soft leather, crytalised brown sugar and exotic amber. To be splashed with abandon and relished at leisure.

Penhaligon’s Juniper Sling £100 for 50ml eau de toilette
At penhaligons.com

Visiting the Kilchoman distillery on their beautiful remote island inspired a scent that captures not only the rich flavours of the golden liquor, but hints of hedgerows and the windswept, rugged mosslands for which they’re famed. Galbanum brings to mind bright yellow gorse flowers, bergamot and orris mirror the citrus-floral notes found in the whiskey itself, while a cade oil and patchouli create a peaty accord that’s reassuringly (and literally) grounding.

Floris Islay £180 for 100ml eau de parfum
At florislondon.com

Thirst-qunching Watermelons with the freshness of green mandarin, notes of green tea and cooling vetiver; Blood Oranges bursting with vibrant, long-lasting citrus, and Framboise Noire succulent with black raspberries and ripe forest berries with a deep undertone like that of an ultra-smooth red wine… Fruit punch, claret, gourmand liqours, watermelon martinis? Allow yourself to be utterly transported by all in this deliciously curated collection.

Shay & Blue Precious Miniatures £65 (VIP price £55) for 5 x 10ml eau de parfum
At our shop

Pssst! Had your cocktail curiousity piqued? Our Subscribers were the first to be invited to our exclusive Sip & Sniff evening at Jovoy Mayfair (so you’ll need to be signed in to view this invite) on June 20th – where experts will be pairing six scents with matching drinks. But we’ll be giving you more details about this tomorrow, so watch our Events section for news!

Written by Suzy Nightingale

CPL Aromas ‘Citrus Fusion’ cocktail recipe

Those of you completing a ‘dry January’ may wish to look away now, but it’s that grey hinterland that always seems to follow Christmas and New Year’s celebrations (and well, we like to be frugal by clearing up the inevitable leftover booze stash).

CPL Aromas are a British fragrance creation company, the largest fragrance-only house in the world. You might not realise it, but look around your dressing table, bathroom and kitchen, and your cupboards are almost certain to be filled with products they’ve developed or invented.

We recently had the pleasure of spending a day getting a behind-the-scenes look at their cutting-edge Research & Development centre in Northamptonshire – an experience that kind of blew our minds as to the posibilities for the future of fragrance, so look out for our special feature in the forthcoming issue of our magazine, The Scented Letter!

In anticipation, we’re rather thrilled to be allowed to present CPL Aromas exclusive Citrus Fusion Cocktail recipe…

It’s rare that any fragrance house releases a formula – so hotly sought-after are these compositions – and most especially for a unique and closely-guarded ingredient such as the AromaFusion range, specially formulated to remain unreproducible by rivals.

CPL Aromas say: ‘When one of our perfumers blends a fragrance, they can call upon much more than natural and synthetic ingredients, they also have unique access to AromaFusion – an exclusive range of ‘captive’ ingredients that is only available to our clients. Their formulation remains a closely guarded secret. And their value is protected and enhanced.’

To celebrate the company’s re-branding programme, CPL Aromas commissioned a mixologist from Searcy’s at The Gherkin to create a unique cocktail inspired by their Citrus Fusion unique material. So why not enjoy shaking up a scent to sniff (and then drink!) in your own kitchen…?

Ingredients

Campari – 25ml

Green chartreuse – 1 teaspoon

Lime juice – 20 ml

Passion fruit syrup – 20 ml

Cranberry Juice – 25 ml

Lemonade – a splash

Glass – Martini

Garnish – Flower

Method
Shake the top five ingredients with ice; strain into a martini glass and top with a splash of good quality lemonade. Finish with a garnish of a fresh flower [CPL Aromas chose violas to complement their purple branding].

With all manner of fragrance-inspired cocktail bars popping up, small-batch distillers using traditional scent ingredients to infuse their gins and liqueurs and even restaurants with perfume-influenced menus – we think the trend for fragrance to be experienced in taste as well smell is set to rise and rise in 2018. And we’ll raise a glass to that…

Written by Suzy Nightingale