Euphorium Brooklyn Bay Rum

Everything old is new again

Before delving into Euphorium Brooklyn Bay Rum, some context is needed on Bay Rum. So let’s start at the beginning. What exactly is Bay Rum? Maybe something your grandfather, father, or uncle wore? It is said that it has timeless appeal. But has its time come and gone? Did it ever leave? Or is it making a comeback? Well, maybe a little of the above. The exact origin of Bay Rum can be traced back to the mid-16th century when Caribbean sailors created the distinctive scent by steeping the leaves of the West Indian Bay Tree in rum which would create a unique fragrance masking their malodor and provide a refreshing and invigorating scent to boost morale among the crew. As they sailed to different ports and shared their discovery, Bay Rum’s popularity spread throughout the Caribbean and then globally. The original recipe evolved later to include added ingredients such as spices and citrus, resulting in the Bay Rum we are familiar with today.

Bay Rum has been closely aligned with the Virgin Islands where once upon a time every single pantry contained a bottle of Bay Rum. St. John, the smallest of the three Danish West Indian islands, was home to the bay tree from the leaves of which produced the famous bay rum of these islands. Virgin Islands Bay Rum attained the reputation of being the finest in the world. From the West Indies, the scent spread to the rest of the world and became popular amongst men using it as an aftershave scent so much so that barbershops in America started developing their own unique version of Bay Rum aftershave to daub onto their customers. And you would most likely find a bottle of Bay Rum in the medicine cabinets of men born before 1950. Bay Rum is uniquely masculine and robust, but won’t overwhelm the senses. Bay Rum has been confused with the distilled alcoholic beverage known as rum. They are two different things. Scientific nomenclature has identified the bay tree as Pimenta Racemosa (in the Myrtle family) and the drink is referred to as distilled rum spirit made from sugar cane (Saccharum officinarum.) You might also find some spelled Rhum. When it comes to the Rum spirit, there are two different styles. The simple difference between Rum and Rhum is that RUM is always made from Molasses while RHUM Agricole is made directly from freshly pressed sugarcane juice. But when it comes to the cologne not sure if there is any difference. Anybody?

Scents of Grenada No. 5

Stephen Dirkes co-founded the SCENTS OF GRENADA & Director of Perfumery of the Perfumery Program at the Tower Estate launched the series this year to great fanfare. He created the extensive Perfumery Programme to celebrate the fragrant bouquet of Grenada. He partnered with Isabelle Slinger, co-founder of Scents of Grenada, and owner of The Tower Estate, a historical Manor House in St. George’s, to create a perfumery program within a perfumer’s garden of floral, spice, herb, and citrus examples. So for SCENTS OF GRENADA #5, Bay Leaf Edition, Stephen Dirkes collaborated with Sniffapalooza for a five-day scent journey from October 5-9th. I signed up along with 38 other fragrance lovers and headed to the West Indies, to the Spice Island of Grenada. A large focus of the five-day extravaganza was on Bay Rum, specifically his, which he officially launched there. The overriding theme of the festival was the Bay Rum accord. One of the takeaways was learning about the West Indian Bay Leaf and its place in the perfume world. An Alembic Still Distillation Workshop was a sold introduction to Bay Leaf in Perfumery through fragrant sampling – West Indian Bay Agriculture. There was A Pure Grenada – Perfume Presentation & Rum Tasting on Friday night – A rum tasting and a special Bay Rum cocktail inspired by Stephen Dirkes’s new Bay Rum fragrance were created for the event. Deconstructing the Bay Rum perfume note by note, and rebuilding it as a cocktail named ‘Golden Apple Sprouse’, featured notes of Ylang Ylang, Neroli, Gospo Orange, Lemon, Lime, West Indian Bay Leaf, Allspice, Mace, Rum, West Indian Amyris, Tonka, and Vanilla. So smooth.

Stephen Dirkes with the Alembic Stills photo Hernando©

 

“Our Grenada launch is followed by a Bay Rum-themed’ perfume party’ with several fragrance presentations related to the theme. Various independent perfume houses have come on board to sponsor and support our efforts. BEACH GEEZA, HARLEM FRAGRANCE COMPANY, ORMONDE JAYNE, PARFUMS QUARTANA, and TRUDON are making it possible for us to present ten perfumes at the festival, which will be included in an ongoing perfume library related to the botanicals we are growing in the Perfumer’s Garden at the Tower Estate. Yay!” -Perfumer Stephen Dirkes.

Euphorium Brooklyn Bay Rum, is a modern spin on a classic perfume accord with equal parts bright Citrus, spicy West Indian Bay Leaf, and smooth Caribbean Tonka. Representing two years of perfumer Stephen Dirkes’ hands-on study where he collaborated with local farmers, horticulturalists, distillers, culinary artists, chocolate makers, tea blenders, mixologists, and educators in Grenada to create this modern twist on the scent. So what makes Bay Rum By Euphonium West Indies different? While not having extensive knowledge of Bay Rums (who does?) I would have to venture into that most Bay Rums I have come across using a heavy hand with clove (especially clove!) and cinnamon. Stephen Dirkes has crafted a more complex and very wearable cologne.

Island of Grenada photo Hernando©

At the top, Ylang Ylang with its rich creamy white floral notes along with the Neroli skims the surface but quickly gets tapped down by the citrus notes. What Stephen Dirkes has done here is dig deep with the citrus accord here that does not lean zesty but more toward the bitter and earthy side. The Gospo Orange which references the French” grosse peau” meaning fat (thick) skin, is a bitter orange that is related to the Seville. Petitgrain, which is distilled from the leaves of the lemon tree, gives off a slightly bitter and earthy woody undercurrent that is like Neroli but without its suaveness. Coming out in the middle is Mace which is a spicy note with a scent akin to that of nutmeg but leans more delicate. And of course, no Bay Rum would be complete without the Bay Leaf and Rum! Here the Bay Leaf imparts a herbal, green, and slightly floral note. I’m sensing a hint of oregano and thyme here. Closing it all down, the rum gives it that light boozy feel. Not overwhelming so just the right sufficiency. Tonka brings on a woody nutty note that pares well with the vanilla. And keeping it local Stephen brings in the West Indian Amyris, which is a more cost-effective version of sandalwood. Slightly sweet it throws off some wood and fruity notes. Perfumers use it for its fixative virtues. Its aroma can last for a long time on the skin and prolong the scent of other extracts. So, pretty sure Euphorium Brooklyn’s Bay Rum won’t make a sailor out of you or put you in a ’50s barbershop chair. But you might feel the West Indies trade winds in this modern interpretation of an old classic scent.

Notes: Ylang ylang, Neroli, Gospa Orange, Lemon, Lime, Petitgrain, West Indian Bay Leaf, Allspice, Mace, Rum, Tonka, Vanilla, West Indian Amyris

Euphorium Brooklyn fragrances can be purchased through their website or through the retailers listed under SHOP & SWAG.

Disclaimer: My bottle of Bay Rum was kindly sent to me by Stephen Dirkes. My opinions are mine!

Hernando Courtright ~ Senior Events Contributor and Brand Ambassador

All Photos are courtesy of Stephen Dirkes except where credited otherwise and cannot be reproduced without permission.

 Euphorium Brooklyn Bay Rum

Thanks to the generosity of Stephen Dirkes, we have a draw for a Bay Rum Eau de Parfum by Euphorium Brooklyn for Women and Men Available in 50ML (includes bulb atomizer as well as spray pump). USA ONLY. To be eligible please leave a comment on what you enjoyed about Hernando’s review of Euphorium Brooklyn’s Bay Rum. The draw closes on 12/1/2023 and the winner will be announced within 10 days later.

Please enjoy Robert Hermann’s review of Euphorium Brooklyn’s Butterfly  r.i.p., Ida Meister’s review of Euphorium Brooklyn’s Ume

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