Bouquet From The Back Bar
“They’d reached a quiet threshold in life—one where two particular talents are in bloom. With a flick of a cocktail menu’s page, they can conjure the whisper of flavours: tasting notes unfurling, aromas rising like wisps from the ink, sometimes even the imagined weight of the vessel in hand. It’s a skill first ignited long ago, now gently smouldering in the shadows of countless evenings.
The second talent is more elusive still: they can invoke the overarching shape of a scent, perceiving its ambience before it ever meets the air, from a list of notes alone.”
Our conceptual menu (because flavour and fragrance are forever interwoven): we offer Bouquet From The Back Bar—a composition for those moments when inspiration takes its cues not from memory, but from the list before you and the glass you raise, where modern scent entwines with cocktail classics, fashioned and reworked, yet celebrated year after year.
‘Cognac Reign’, by D.S. & Durga
Sazerac: Amber. Gourmand. Smoke: c.1850.
Sweet, antiqued wood and deep, caramelised bergamot arrive at the table with a smooth, expansive first impression. Concrete of orris brings a powdery florality with a passionate warmth, whilst cognac essence packs boozy epicurean notes of liquor-soaked candied fruits, and aged jasmine. A dry down of tonka bean and limousine oak—prized for its ageing of robust spirits—lingers on the nose, adding toasted tobacco and earthy vanilla notes.
'Papyrus Eternal', by Brioni
Longines: Fougère. Smoke. Spice: c.1930.
A fresh note of bergamot joins the subtle spice and warmth of cardamom, evoking the anise of our namesake cocktail. Black tea presents a sweet smokiness—meeting a heart of dry, woody papyrus and herbal mate leaf. A warming base of Haitian and Javanese vetiver meets brandied notes of sweet amber, for an immediately timeless and transporative scent.
'Gris Charnel', by BDK
Old Fashioned: Citrus. Spice. Smoke: c.1880.
A classic, born with the inception of aromatic bitters, opening with sweet fig, warm cardamom, and smoky black tea. Heart notes of complex bourbon vetiver and powdery iris absolute provide a balancing hold between mischief and euphoria, before mellowing into warming, rich base notes of Indian sandalwood and tonka bean absolute.
‘Cuvée Skin’, by Born To Stand Out
French 75: Intimé. Floral. Musk: c.1914.
Like the pop of a nubile vintage, you are greeted by a flourish of ambrette and oakmoss absolutes, vivacious and forward. Initially bright and clean like its namesake, its effervescence invokes pear blossom and iris. Each note teases the next as it melds with the skin, as floral notes evolve with vanilla orchid. A trio of tonka bean, in infusion, absolute and resinoid brings a soft, woody musk, as its élevage introduces notes of blond woods and white leather for a scent as complex, intimate and rewarding as the perfect caress.
'Bohemian Lime', by Goldfield & Banks
Gimlet: Citrus. Aromatic. Wood: c.1867.
Australian finger lime and coriander create an intense, zesty opening; bright and bold, uplifting and empowering. At its base lie smooth Moroccan Atlas cedarwood and Australian sandalwood, lending a surprising, lingering creaminess in partnership with a heart of herbaceous Haitian vetiver. It’s a perfect trio of elements, decidedly better than the sum of its parts.
‘Miami Nectar’, by Ellis Brooklyn
Pina Colada: Gourmand. Floral. Lactonic: c.1963.
A true gourmand, we travel to the sparkling era of disco; of long hedonistic evenings after days spent beneath scorching sunshine, as succulent pink pineapple and coconut water rise from the open. The Puerto Rican night breeze brings a grounding of elements, with a floral heart of plumeria and wild jasmine. At its depth, the beach whispers of tree moss and salted woods, with the next rising sun embodied by amberwood and heady vanilla.
'Shangri Lavender', by Within 51:49
Last Word: Spice. Fougère. Musk: c.1916.
A definitive aromatic opening introduces the complex botanicals to come, with black pepper oil and pink pepper CO₂, arriving fresh yet softer than their counterparts. Its heart sits in the aromatic–herbal territory, with clary sage, lavandin enfleurage, and olibanum creating a camphoraceous lift and mineral clarity. Base notes of turmeric root absolute, ambroxan and musk give a clean, warming, woody-amber foundation; the makings of a true classic.
‘Pomona Vitalis’, by Electimuss
English Rose: Fruit. Floral. Wood: c.1930.
Abundance in harvest, lychee, strawberry, bergamot and crisp apple bring a banquet of fruits. We meet the heart notes with our first floral memory, the rose, with succulent, overripe petals dropping from the flower. Herbaceous and woody vermouth notes round out the aroma, with sandalwood and vanilla, styrax and benzoin to balance warmth and resinousness.
'Iris Nebula', by Nancy Meiland
Aviation: Citrus. Fruit. Floral: c.1916.
Opening with bergamot and mandarin, a rounded citrus trails into a soft, warm anise and powder of violet, with heart notes kept high by Florentine iris. A velveteen, skin-like allure is held close by a base of caramel, cedar, and suede, giving a practically almond-like sweet-bitter balance.
'Become Zenith', by Bentley
Brandy Alexander: Gourmand. Musk. Spice: c.1923.
A cardamom and cocoa opening creates a musky allure when meeting papyrus, offset by a bright verdance from violet leaf. Richness and depth are added at the heart, with soft leather and earthy patchouli gayo, as vanilla rounds out the liquor-like gourmand facets. Sublimolide and ambergris give a lingering skin-like feel, complex, but grounding and devilishly moreish.
