In today’s instalment of boozy scents I decided to cover a lot of bases and provide something for all. Here’s my favourite scents featuring gin, wine, champagne and cognac. You should be able to find scents here that’ll cover you for the cooler weather and the warmer weather.
Gin
Penhaligon’s – Juniper Sling – As the name suggests is based around gin. It opens with a refreshing blast of angelica, juniper berry and orange brandy. It retains some of the refreshing top notes, but as it dry’s down other notes including spicy pepper, and green earthy vetiver come into play. There’s also a very prominent cooling cardamom note, and a touch of sweetness from cherry and sugar. The fragrance was inspired by London Dry Gin and the gin-drinking cocktail parties attended by the Bright Young Things of the roaring 20’s. Unfortunately this party ends too soon, Juniper Sling’s longevity and sillage are its biggest drawbacks. Skin scent after an hour and 2-3 hours longevity on skin. As it stands though, Juniper Sling is a very clean, expertly crafted scent that is well worth trying and works well on warmer days.
Lolita Lempicka – Green Lover – Green Lover for Men with mint, vanilla, juniper and gin and tonic with hints of pepper. It smells fresh and creamy without ever becoming cloying. The opening is fresh and slightly boozy with mint, juniper and gin and tonic taking centre stage, before the creamy vanilla and musk comes into play as it dry’s down. Still light enough for warm weather. An excellent 2019 release from Lolita Lempicka.
Art de Parfum Gin and Tonic Cologne – Crisp and clean, centred around gin and juniper berry. Grapefruit, lemon zest and a saline cucumber note lay a refreshing top for the astringent gin and juniper mid. An earthy vetiver and musk dry down closes proceedings out in elegant fashion. Perfect for a warm summer day.
Frapin L’Humaniste – Boozy gin and spicy lemon are prominent in this long-time favourite. There’s an underlying creaminess from tonka that always reminds me of Chanel Allure Homme Edition Blanche, albeit a boozier rendition. The only knock on this is the poor longevity, but it will always be a summer staple.
Cognac
Tiziana Terenzi – Laudano Nero – Dark, complex and long-lasting Terenzi’s Laudano Nero is a smoky incense scent featuring cognac and tobacco. Rich, woody and resinous with a somewhat medicinal oud note and a leather like labdanum that holds things together in the base. A winter warmer that last 10-12 hours on skin every time.
Piotr Czarnecki – Bluebijou Strong blueberry note, mixed in with cognac and dark chocolate. Combining with the gourmand notes are a violet and a slight hint of a smoky tobacco. Another one to wear on cooler days. Excellent longevity with some similarities to my next recommendation, Enchanted Forest from the Vagabond Prince.
Wine
The Vagabond Prince – Enchanted Forest – Like Bluebijou, Enchanted Forest features a prominent berry note, in this case blackberry, but here it’s paired with lighter notes of cassis, balsam fir and red wine. I’d still recommend this Bertrand Duchaufour creation for cooler days though. The jammy blackcurrant note eventually joined by the red wine and cedar to perfectly evoke it’s inspiration of Russian forests and fairy tales.
Xerjoff – Zefiro – Smoky incense with a backdrop of woods and spices. Cardamom and cinnamon are certainly present along with a somewhat fleeting white wine note in the top. Despite the prominent incense note it doesn’t become overly church like at least on my skin. As with most Xerjoff scents it lasts forever on skin, 10 plus hours.
Les Liquides Imaginaires – Bloody Wood – Sticky sweet, red wine with smoky wood notes and a melange of fruits, cherry and raspberry. I do wish this lasted a bit longer on my skin though, it fades away after 3-4 hours.
Gallagher Fragrances – Rose All Dae – Modelled after a Cinsault Rose wine from Texas, Rose All Dae is a honeyed apple, boozy plum with patchouli, brown sugar and rose. It evokes apple pie or apple cider but with a slightly metallic edge. It reminds me somewhat of Hermes Ambre Narguile. A very interesting gourmand scent with very good projection and perfect for cooler weather.
Champagne
Etat Libre d’Orange Remarkable People – Love the champagne fizz of Remarkable People. This scent gives me an orange soda or candy vibe. An enjoyable combination of citruses, champagne and cardamom, eventually drying down to a nice woody base. I enjoy 8 hours longevity from Remarkable People.
Les Liquides Imaginaires – Dom Rosa – Crisp apple, rose, pear and champagne in this slightly feminine leaning scent from Liquides Imaginaires. An uplifting, invigorating somewhat linear perfume that I would wear in the summer months.
What are your favourite scents with gin, cognac, wine and champagne?
Note – Bottle images courtesy of Fragrantica. Gin image courtesy of Dragomir Ralchev on unsplash.com. Cognac image courtesy of Dylan Sauerwein on unsplash.com. Wine image courtesy of Kym Ellis on unsplash.com and champagne image courtesy of Deleece Cook on unsplash.com