Perfume cocktails: 4 Bars that are pioneering the trend

rachelzheng

08 Aug 2017

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Fragrances, Berlin
Fragrances is the world's first dedicated perfume cocktail bar which boasts a collection of 30 cocktails inspired by the finest perfumes from the likes of Giorgio Armani, Bulgari, and Guerlain. Located in the opulent Ritz-Carlton Berlin, customers begin a sensorial journey when they enter a hallway flanked by exhibits of the perfumes with cocktail ingredients encased in bell jars on either side. Marrying aroma with flavour, the elaborate display is an interactive menu which customers can smell and experience to decide which fragrance they want to enjoy as a cocktail. At Fragrances, not only smell and taste, but all senses are engaged, especially with the creative and unusual presentations of the cocktails. For example, Deliria by L’artisan Parfumeur comes served in a wooden box whose doors open to reveal a whimsical forest. The drink itself has no less depth, and is made from Zacapa 23, pink lady apple, raspberry, fresh lemon, vanilla palm sugar syrup, and aged whisky bitters.

Fragrances, The Ritz-Carlton, Potsdamer Platz, Berlin, 10785 Germany

Photo: Fragrances
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Green Bar, London
London's Hotel Café Royal collaborated with Parfums Givenchy last year to launch ten exclusive, limited-edition cocktails celebrating the fine perfumes of L’Atelier de Givenchy, the brand's haute perfume collection, and in particular the newest addition to the line, Iris Harmonique. The hotel's Green Bar worked closely with Givenchy to create the cocktails, which blend an interpretation of the perfumes' distinct key notes with the bar's longstanding focus on botanical ingredients. Each cocktail in the collection had its own unique colour, personality, and taste, highlighting Givenchy's expertise in their craft. For example, the floral, refreshing Iris Harmonique contains coconut-infused Ketel One Vodka, kumquat liqueur, and lemon zest. The fragrances were also kept behind the bar, allowing customers to experience them before selecting their cocktail.

Green Bar, Hotel Café Royal, 68 Regent St, Soho, London W1B 4DY, UK

Photo: Hotel Café Royal
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Zuma, Hong Kong
Just earlier this year, contemporary Japanese-inspired bar and restaurant Zuma collaborated with luxury London perfumer Penhaligon's to promote its Portraits series of fragrances. Zuma, located in Hong Kong, is known for its innovative cocktails, and was ranked 24th in this year's list of Asia's 50 Best Bars. Each fragrance in the Portraits series is characterised by a different member from a fictional noble family comprised of four characters – Lord George, Lady Blanche, The Duke, and Duchess Rose – and Zuma translated the each of the scents into drinkable flavours. In Lord George, for example, the original fragrance has scents of shaving soap, cigar, and whisky, representing the stately patriarch of the family. The cocktail itself utilises sakura-infused plantation dark rum, Nikka Coffey Grain, umeshu, tonka beans, and ambrox to create a masculine-tasting drink. Each cocktail was also served with the perfect take-home treat – a sample of the perfume.

Zuma, 15 Queen's Road Central, Central District, Hong Kong

Photo: Zuma
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Tippling Club, Singapore
Lauded Singapore cocktail bar and restaurant Tippling Club also partnered with Penhaligon's, with their first collaboration dating back to 2011. The Juniper Sling cocktail, a delightfully fruity concoction of Grand Marnier, gin, cassis, homemade cherry bitters, juniper, and cinnamon syrup, was inspired by the fragrance of the same name, and even comes served in a Penhaligon bottle placed in a Penhaligon box. In 2015, the envelope-pushing bar released another cocktail based on Penhaligon's Sartorial, a more masculine fragrance and an apt counterpart to contrast the Juniper Sling. To replicate the perfume, honey-infused whisky, orange peel, cloves, and black tea are used. Unfortunately, both cocktails are no longer on the menu, but customers can still have fun with scents in their current cocktail menu, named Sensorium. A collaboration with International Flavours and Fragrances Inc (IFF), a company that innovates sensorial experiences, customers are encouraged to relieve cherished childhood memories through the medium of aroma by selecting their cocktail based on a scent that they can most relate to.

Tippling Club, 38 Tanjong Pagar Rd, Singapore 088461

Photo: Tippling Club

With the invention of perfume cocktails, you can now take your love of fragrances to a new level.

Collaborations in the worlds of fashion and beauty are now commonplace, with eager marketers dreaming up every partnership imaginable. Celebrities are working with makeup brands, makeup brands are teaming up with luxury brands, and luxury brands are coming together with high street labels faster than the best of us can catch up.

Going one step further, collaborations between fragrance houses and cocktail bars to produce perfume cocktails is a trend that is picking up. Given the strong link between the senses of smell and taste, the combination of perfumes and cocktails is one that works, even if the idea may sound surprising. What’s more, similar to perfumes, which are made up of head notes, heart notes, and base notes, cocktails are also made up of different parts – typically a base, a modifying agent, and special flavouring or colouring agents. As a result, mixologists can translate a perfume’s key notes by selecting the appropriate ingredients.

While the idea is still novel, with not many of such partnerships having taken place, we’ve rounded up the bars that are taking the lead in the creation of perfume cocktails. From exclusive, limited-edition launches, to the first bar in the world dedicated to combining the art of cocktails with the world of perfume and aromas, click through the gallery above and get yourself acquainted with some of the most inventive collaborations that are redefining the drinking experience.

Rachel Zheng

Photo: Hotel Café Royal

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Perfume cocktails: 4 Bars that are pioneering the trend

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