FRAGRANCE REVIEW Penhaligon’s Juniper Sling “Olivier Cresp Shakes It Up” + Classic Cocktail Draw

One of my favorite current trends is the return of the classic cocktail. There are now a number of bars throughout the world with mixologists who specialize in resurrecting these relics of pre-Prohibition America. One of the things which make these concoctions stand out are the very fresh ingredients which are used to create them. Instead of no-name liquor stirred in with some boring mixer you have drinks which often require fresh-squeezed juice and freshly grated or ground spices over boutique versions of the standard spirits. What is true at the bar is also true with perfume. When a perfumer uses high-quality ingredients there is a better than average chance for something very good to result. For the new Penhaligon’s Juniper Sling the fragrant mixologist called upon to create this new perfume is Olivier Cresp.

M Cresp was tasked to pay homage to London Dry Gin and the early going of Juniper Sling is all about serving that up straight out of a cocktail shaker. There is a distinctly cocktail feel to Juniper Sling and I found it to be unusually refreshing.

Olivier Cresp

The notes that make up the top notes of Juniper Sling are cinnamon, orange brandy, angelica, and juniper berry are very close to the recipe I used to make gin in college. Coriander is the only thing that is missing. Even without the coriander this collection of notes re-create a very clean dry gin accord and it is the best thing about Juniper Sling. This accord holds on for quite a while until a bit of fresh black pepper and a dash of fresh cardamom are added to the shaker by M Cresp. A touch of leather adds a bit of the drinking club vibe to the fragrance. There is a very slight floral addition of orris but it is so attenuated it doesn’t truly add a floral quality it instead adds foundation for the pepper and cardamom. The base is a very light combo of vetiver and ambrox. Thankfully M Cresp uses both of these notes very sparingly because if they were used in greater concentration it would have unbalanced the whole.

Juniper Sling has below average longevity and average sillage.

M Cresp creates a gin-based fragrant cocktail as refreshing as any real cocktail you will find at any bar.

If you are interested in having a drink with your Juniper Sling the bartender at The Dorchester Hotel in London created a Juniper sling cocktail and the recipe is below:

30ml Whitley Neill Dry Gin
30ml Sloe Gin
10ml of The Dorchester’s Forbidden Fruit Liqueur
15ml Bergamot
20ml Lime
10ml Sugar Syrup
20ml Pineapple Juice
Sprinkle of fresh Nutmeg

Shaken and served on crushed ice and garnished with lemon grass, rose petal and mint.

Disclosure: This review was based on samples provided by Penhaligon’s.

Thanks to Penhaligon’s we have a full bottle of Juniper sling to giveaway to one reader. To be eligible leave a comment naming your favorite classic cocktail or your favorite boozy note in perfume. Draw will end on December 6,2011.

We announce the winners only on site and on our Facebook page, so Like Cafleurebon and use our RSS option…or your dream prize will be just spilt perfume

–Mark Behnke, Managing Editor

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36 comments

  • Claudia says:

    My favorite cocktail is a Mojito and my favorite boozy note is Absinthe. I must say Penhaligons has some super nice fragrance and i have had this one on my radar since it came out. Thanks for the opportunity to be entered in the draw.

  • Feliciag says:

    As far as my favorite booze note its buttery rum, bourbon.
    My favorite cocktail hmm this is a good question lately I have been loving everything that incorporates a fizz. Mimosa, Champagne and strawberries. I love a good Pina Colada to start a vacation . thanks to Penhaligons and to CaFleureBon for the opportunity to win a bottle of Juniper Sling:) I am licking my lips at the Dorchester Hotel recipe.

  • Lisa says:

    My favorite booze note is definitely cognac, but Juniper Sling sounds interesting. My favorite cocktail is a very dry martini, or a gin and tonic during summertime. I wonder if that means I’d like Juniper Sling?

  • Jules says:

    When it comes to cocktails the more tropical and colourful the better, I say. I’m even man enough to not be averse a “campy” umbrella or two, if need be. ;o) Therefore I’m quite partial to a Mai Tai. (But any cocktail will do really.)
    As for my favoured boozy note in fragrance I’d probably go with rum.
    Please enter me into the draw ~ Thanx !

  • mariotgomez says:

    Who does not love a good cocktail. Leaving in the Bay Area, there are many bars, lounges and restaurants with specialty drinks. The most recent cocktail I had was made with Hendricks Gin, Chartreuse and muddled cucumber. Amazing aroma which I would love to find in a fragrance, the taste is so great I have return to the restaurant several times just of the cocktail. Since gin & tonic is my to go to drink, I have been waiting to test this scent. Meanwhile, I just make a G&T, trying to sniff it more than drink it.

  • Cheesegan says:

    Grey Goose Shandy-vodka, beer, ginger ale with lemon. Sounds disgusting, but it’s great.
    I don’t like boozy notes in perfume, maybe cognac.

  • Lindaloo says:

    I’m not much of a cocktail drinker currently, but in my twenties my favourite classic cocktail was the Sidecar: cognac, Cointreau and lemon juice. These days I’ll have the occasional Margarita (real, not slushy) and gin and tonic is always good in the summer. I’m thinking Juniper Sling would not be amiss in the summer either.
    The Juniper video is delightful.

  • Molly says:

    Why is the rum gone? It actually is not in the wonderful in Lubin’s Idole – the boozy warm notes of rum is probably ever present there reminding me of lazy days of summer spent with daiquiris and mojitos.

  • Paul-Laurentiu says:

    My favourite boozy note in a fragrance would be rum. I love to drink rum, therefore I love to smell like it when it’s used in perfumes. It adds an extra touch of sweetness and a tropical vibe to it and that’s why I like it so much.

  • Michelyn Camen says:

    My favorite boozy notes are cognac and tequila. no cocktails for me…I drink only pinot noir wine with dinner or any high end and expensive dark hard liquor neat. I sip… ( not into jello shots of cheap tequila), but love Don julio anjeho tequila and frapin 1270 cognac.

    Thank you pengaligons for your ongoing support. A round of egg nog for your team

  • brigitte says:

    Juniper is a note I have grown to love. There is a fragrance I wear every winter solstice called Avalon Juniper. Juniper Sling sounds fantastic. My favorite boozy note is cognac. My favorite cocktail would be a classic Margarita (with lots of salt on the rim of the glass).

  • Isa says:

    My favorite cocktails are mojito and sangría and my favorite boozy note is rum. I don’t use to drink alcohol, but recently I discovered that Cointreau and Lemon Fanta make a good and easy cocktail.

    Juniper Sling sounds great. Thanks!

  • Evgeniy says:

    My favourite boozy note would be spiced rum – with extra vanilla and cinnamone in it.
    So my favorite classic cocktail is old good Cuba Libre.

  • Millions says:

    But why is the rum gone? No, it’s not – I absolutely adore it in perfume, especially Lubin’s Idole. And in my summertime cocktails too – the slightest smell of it brings back the memories of lazy days at the seaside sipping daiquiris and mojitos.

  • Eric says:

    My favorite boozy note is whiskey (as in Pure Malt) although I’m not so fond of whiskey straight up. My favorite cocktail (if you can call it that) is jenever and coke. You probably will have to google ‘jenever’ or ‘genever’ (not to be confused with gin although related). It’s a Dutch thing.

  • Marcin says:

    My favourite coctail is Cuba Libre which is made of rum and cola with a lot of crushed ice. But I love dry gin as well. BTW – you can find gin note in L’Humaniste Frapin, which is great.

  • Francesca Belanger says:

    My favorite cocktail is a classic gin martini, and I always think if I ran out of perfume, I could dab some gin behind my ears. Would love to sniff Juniper Sling.

  • Holly F. says:

    I no longer indulge in libations of this sort, but I still adore the warm coziness that Ginestet Botrytis imparts. It has the feel of wine without (to my nose) smelling distinctly of it.

  • Juninho says:

    I rarely drink alcohol, but my favourite is some vodka with cranberry juice. SDV’s rum note is among my favourites.

  • Arthur Nguyen says:

    In the vein of crisp, refreshing cocktails, nothing beats a good Negroni for me (gin, campari, sweet vermouth, orange twist). But my favorite boozy perfume note would definitely be cognac, a la Bois d’Ombrie. Nevertheless, Juniper Sling sounds well worth trying!

  • Jake says:

    My favourite cocktail- refreshing caipirinha! And boozy note in perfume? Many of them, but definitely Idole de Lubin’s rum is the winner.

  • Eva S says:

    My favorite cocktail is Margarita (seems to be popular here!) and favorite boozy note would be rum, I love it in Mona d’Orio Vanille.

  • Bellatrix says:

    My fav is Mojito. You don’t know even notice you are drinking alcohol but after a while it is bit difficult to walk. 🙂
    Thanks for the draw. I love this fragrance.

  • Olga says:

    My answer may be out of balance here – I love too many cocktails to mention and not enough boozy notes in perfume to mention.

    I don’t have cocktails out often, because the best place to have one is in. We make cocktails at home using the kind of liquor one might drink neat. I like classic New Orleans cocktail Sazerrac, in the Summer I can handle a nice Mint Julep, Woodstock is based on gin and is wonderful, our killer Mojito is good not only in Summer but year around with fresh mint from the yard… the list can go on.

    I think gin would be the best boozy note in a perfume. I’d love to try Juniper Sling. Thanks for a lovely draw to Cafleurebon and Penhaligon’s.

  • Lisa A says:

    I love the booziness of Benzoin absolute. I know it’s not cocktail-ish (maybe mudslide-ish?) but it has a boozy quality that I love.

  • Undina says:

    I prefer to drink wines but on those occasions when I drink cocktails jin and tonic is my absolute favorite followed by mojito.

  • MariaA says:

    Margueritas and Mojitos in the summer, wine for the winter. I love Penhaligon the Juniper sling sounds amazing!!

  • Tatiana says:

    I usually go for a gin and tonic, but I love blending a couple of cucumbers together with mint and ice cubes, then mixing it with a healthy dose of vodka and a bit of wasabi. My favourite boozy note is mulled wine- I adore wintry drinks, but unfortunately I have to stick to more refreshing cocktails as it’s summer all year round here!