Ginned Up

I love me some words.  And I love weird, arcane phrases* (these two interests often make me… um… unpopular [?] … amongst my less-wordy pals.)  ‘Ginned up’ came to mind, when I was taking part in Arielle Shoshana’s Happy Hour zoom party (kinda fun but in general? I HATE ZOOM!  but that is for another time, another rant).  Anyhoodle, she did a choice of an alky/non-alky set of samples and … surprise!  I ordered the alky one.  When we got to Gin Fizz (Lubin), March said “this is SO you — right down to the bottle” — and she was right!  A glorious, sparkly, citrusy scent, reminiscent of a Tom Collins cocktail (one of my favorite Summer cocktails, minus the Maraschino cherry).  After a long day’s Getting Hollered At by clients, there’s nothing nicer than settling down in the cooling June evening with an icy TC, watching the hummingbirds.

So.  There’s the cocktail — basically gin, ice, simple syrup (which I make from water & sugar and store in the fridge) and lemon juice, shaken and topped with club soda.  Sparkling lemonade with gin, if you will (and I will, thanks!)  I choose gin over vodka because I consider gin to be a ‘mindful’ spirit – I like to actually taste liquors.  I also consider it ‘mindful’ because I have to pay attention – two gin martinis (or what have you) is just fine.  Any more and I am puking like a lima bean.  Coming from two sides of high-functioning alcoholics I consider that a plus.

But this is not just about cocktails – it’s about gin perfumes.  When March said ‘it’s SO you’ – and I tried the sample (and, again, she was right), I kept wondering where I’d smelled this before – I certainly do not have a bottle of Lubin Gin Fizz in my collection – yet.   But I do have Cartier L’Heure Brilliante, which is Gin Fizz’s younger, slightly darker sister — imagine Grace Kelly (Gin Fizz’s muse) with a near-twin with dark roots.  When I think of Gin Fizz, I actually think of a Hendricks Gin Martini.  A lighter, sweeter, more ‘sodapop’ gin scent is Love & Toast ‘Gin Blossom’ (which I got from Beautyhabit) with a zesty lime & elderflower vibe.  It lasts about 32 seconds in the heat but it so lively and fun that it’s a pleasure to spritz again and again (and it’s super-inexpensive, so you can use it much like my vaunted summer splash Jean Nate, which works amazingly under all of these scents).

And, OMG!  Apparently there is a ‘Juniper Gin’ perfume from Love and Toast somewhere out in the wilderness!!!  According to Fragrantica it has a ‘salty’ note, which might make it a bit darker, less sparkly – and maybe put it in ambergris territory and make me the happiest lima bean on the Posse!  That could be the perfect Very Lake Summer Gin scent!!!  But we’ll have to wait and see, won’t we?  In the meantime, I’m all about the sparkly, citrusy gins of Summer!

So!  do you have any perfume/cocktail pairings for Summer?

  • Patty says:

    Yeah, I think these aren’t for me. I like them, but don’t swoon over them. So completely not me. But Zoom is… ugh. I spend my day working on Zoom, nonstop. I have a serious love/hate relationship with my Zoom screen. But, well, sometimes that’s just how it goes!

  • Millicent says:

    No one’s mentioned Penhaligon’s Juniper Sling! I would love to try that side by side with some of these others, especially the Lubin.

    • Musette says:

      you know… I thought about Juniper Sling! Then I forgot about it because … I forgot about it. I remember liking it , back when I was going through the Penhaligons. Must revisit! xoxoxo

  • Dina C. says:

    I love a Hendricks G & T with cucumber, and I also really connected with Lubin Gin Fizz during the AS Zoom perfume sniffa. That was so fun. I really enjoyed talking scent with real people. Wish more people would have had a chance to talk — seems like there’s always gotta be a blabbermouth that loves the sound of their own voice!

    • Musette says:

      LOL!!!! You know I am NOT going there 😉

      xoxoxoxo

      and, ho YUS! on the cucumber! I did a martini where I muddled the cuke, just a bit, and shook it (not stirred) with Hendricks & the elderflower liqueur …. o m g !!! STUPID GOOD

  • Tara C says:

    Hmm, I do enjoy a Tom Collins but have only had it with vodka, need to try the gin version. Chanel No. 18 smells like a gin fizz to me for the first 15 minutes (the edt). Personally I am more into rum/cognac smells in perfume. My favourites are Frapin 1270, Nasomatto Baraonda and 4160 Tuesdays Lightning Ridge.

    • Musette says:

      Tara, I love Vodka Collins but…omg. I would fall out of my chair!!! I’m also beginning to like cognac scents, didn’t think I would! xoxo

  • March says:

    I love the taste of gin but it makes me almost instantly ill… then I realized I have a serious allergy to juniper pollen, and I assume those are connected? I mostly don’t like dark “boozy” scents with rum etc. but the Lubin is a delight.

    • Musette says:

      YIKES! well, yeah! I’m sure the juniper has a lot to do with it, though that is precisely why I drink it instead of vodka – I don’t get ‘instantly’ ill, but the taste absolutely demands that I PAY ATTENTION, so getting hammered on gin is nearly impossible for me. If I go beyond the 2-drink max I’ve tossed it into the terlet LONG before that 😉

      xoxoxo

  • Queen-Cupcake says:

    Not sure I know any really alky perfumes but now I want to find some! I like a London dry such as Bombay Sapphire. For my system, though, gin can be trouble–vodka burns cleaner. I love the phrase “gin blossoms”, although you wouldn’t want to have them. There is some fascinating stuff to read about gin craze in London in the 18th century. Look up “The Puss-and-Mew machine”

    • Musette says:

      y’know…. you are one of the reasons I can’t get any real work done 😉 (just kidding – but you have to admit you always have interesting things for me to rabbit hole into). I love Bombay Sapphire! People look at my bar cart askance, expecting all of these obscure artisanal gins… nope! Hendricks and Sapphire are good enough for me!

      xoxoxo

      • Queen-Cupcake says:

        Love the Sapphire! So smooth that I could drink it room temp, not that I would. XOXOXOXO back at ya, Musette!

  • Maya says:

    I’m with Portia. I think gin is delicious but I don’t drink it. It is the only alcohol that gives me an instant headache, so I don’t want to smell it in perfume. I do like smelling some rum or bourbon in fragrances, like the rum in Viktoria Minya Hedonist.

  • Portia says:

    Hey Musette,
    I love the taste of gin, especially with lemon squash. It does not do me or the people around me any favours though. Angry gin drunk here. Because it’s so easy to drink I forget there’s alcohol and everything goes south all of a sudden, between sips. Apparently you can see the change in my eyes.
    I’ll stick to everything else.
    Portia xx

    • Musette says:

      Holy cats & crackers, Portia! I can see it happening from here! Step away from the gin! I have an Angry Chardonnay Drunk acquaintance, so when I’m forced in to company with her, I stick to lunch. Dinner is an escalating disaster!!! xoxoxox

  • Kathleen says:

    Gin Fizz was my favorite of the alky samples at Arielle Shoshana’s Zoom meet-up. I loved it! I’m not a gin drinker but I loved this perfume. I am a wine drinker and I’ve never thought of any perfume pairings with wine?
    Hmmm, I’ll think about it!

    • Musette says:

      I did say hello to you, didn’t I? I hope so – Zoom is so irritating and confusing (and there were SO VERY MANY people on there that we couldn’t all be seen at once)…..
      I think one can love the hell out of Gin Fizz perfume without loving gin (or Gin Fizz cocktails) – in this one the gin is almost incidental, evoking the idea of it rather than the actual scent of gin.

      xoxoxo