Despite my promiscuity in so many other sensorial pleasures; when it comes to ordering a drink at a bar I almost always want something with gin in it. Of course the classic gin concoction is a martini. When I order my martini I always ask for it dry and when I mean dry I mean the vermouth bottle should just be next to the shaker. Which means my martini is well shaken and chilled gin. As a poor graduate student I distilled my own gin and the smell of coriander and juniper used to make a lovely smell in my apartment.

I have had an almost identical relationship with patchouli in perfume. When the source of the patchouli is top-notch I really don’t want much else to interfere with my enjoyment of it. The latest example of a fragrance to get that mix right for me is Christian Dior La Collection Couturier Patchouli Imperial. Francois Demachy adds an eleventh fragrance to the previous ten fragrance collection which debuted earlier in 2011. The stated list of notes is very simple for Patchouli Imperial; bergamot, coriander, patchouli, and sandalwood. Just like the best gin cocktails; a simple combination which allows the central component to shine is exactly what M Demachy has served up with Patchouli Imperial.

The opening of Patchouli Imperial is a bright and sparkling bergamot. I’m not sure whether I’m stopping to admire this ubiquitous note more of late or if a new source has transformed it but this is the fourth or fifth fragrance over the last year where the bergamot has had an unexpected pop to it. Now the patchouli comes in and this dry as dry can get patchouli. It feels like it arrives on the wind of a desert scirocco with a dusty powerful wallop. This is an aged to perfection patchouli full of nuance and as far from a head shop as tie dye is from Dior haute couture. I don’t think this will convert someone into a patchouli lover but it has a great amount of sophistication to it. The sandalwood in the base doesn’t show up for a very long time and it also is a dry version of that note as well.

Patchouli Imperial has outstanding longevity and above average sillage.

Patchouli, like gin, is something that is not universally loved by all aficionados but if you are someone who likes patchouli, Patchouli Imperial might be your fragrant cocktail. Belly up to the fragrance counter and give it a shot.

Disclosure: This review was based on a sample purchased from The Perfumed Court.

–Mark Behnke, Managing Editor