New Perfume Review:  Euphorium Brooklyn  Chocolatl + Find Your Inner Child Fragrance Draw

Harry Potter the Half Blood Prince replica movie prop memory vial

Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince Memory Vial (replica)

 

One of the most wondrous and fine moments in creating a perfume collection comes not from finding that elusive vintage decant, or being the first one to wear a niche line’s latest launch, but a moment that comes (for some) much earlier.  Many of us come to our love of perfumery from a gift iby an older relative, or secretly experimenting with one of our parents’ bottles when we’re old enough to reach for it ourselves. 

Georgie Henley as Lucy Pevensie in the 2008 film, The Chronicles of Narnia Prince Caspian.

Georgie Henley as Lucy Pevensie in the 2008 film, The Chronicles of Narnia Prince Caspian.

This moment in childhood has always fascinated me when I hear other collector’s origin stories about their lifelong love of fragrance.  I myself did not have such a moment; my love came much later in life, but nonetheless it feels just as mysterious and marvelous in my late 40’s as it might have to a curious young girl.  I have often wondered what I would have wanted to smell like as a child, or what scent might have triggered that forever dream of fragrance that would last a lifetime.  And now I’ve found it. 

Stephen Dirkes Euphorium  Brooklyn

Stephen Dirkes magically transformed 

Stephen Dirkes  of Euphorium Brooklyn has released the House's  first-ever gourmand fragrance, Chocolatl and without question it is exactly what I would have wanted as a kid (and still do); I would  gladly give this to fragrance lovers of all ages who are eager to lose themselves to perfume’s special magic. 

Chocolate. “Eat it. It'll help.” - Remus Lupin

Chocolate. “Eat it. It'll help.” - Remus Lupin Harry Potter Prisoner of Azkaban

Chocolatl is a wry mixture of a very dry and exotic chocolate note with the slightly musty and musky vibe that by now we recognize as a trademark of Euphorium Brooklyn’s increasingly prolific line.  The combination is absolutely pitch-perfect – after I sampled this fragrance, my inner world was lit up with images of the Narnian wardrobe, the candy shoppe in Diagon Alley, and a mad desire for an enormous Wonka Bar.  Euphorium Brookllyn’s mysterious “Komodo Process” by which all their scents are made, seems to be incredibly flexible and amorphous – it adds depth to floral scents, a Gothic urgency to aromatics, and now a compelling mystery to a gourmand. 

Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory  Tim Burton River

Willy Wonka  & The Chocolate Factory Chocolate River Tim Burton (2005) 

But beyond all the mystery is delight.  Chocolatl is sheer childhood joy in a bottle, with just enough adult spice and intrinsic exoticism to make it more than just another sweet linear confection wafting up from your wrist while you’re out Christmas shopping. 

cocoa_pot

Antique Cocoa Pot (Euphorium Brooklyn)

First of all, there’s the inviting opening layer of Mexican chocolate with a stunning underlying honey note.  This spicy chocolate and honey combination is absolutely entrancing – not only is it sweet and tempting, but the textural interplay is marvelous.  First you get the near-astringent and tannic hit of the dry, lightly-spiced chocolate, but then a slow undertow of sparkling, slow, ambery honey.  This may be the first perfume I’ve ever wanted to sip out of a mug on a cold winter morning. 

Narnia  Tilda Swinton  Lion  The Witch and the wardrobe chocolate

Tilda Swinton as Jadis The White Witch magicked hot cocoa that mesmerizes Edmond (The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe Chronicles of Narnia:1)

There is also an unusual citrus note included in Chocolatl, known as tzapotl fruit, or sapote fruit, that as far as I was able to discern from light research, tastes a bit like chocolate pudding.  (Again, with that knowledge, I’m instantly back in Narnia!)  What a treat for my inner child, or that lucky young girl who would be offered this scent by an older relative!  A perfume that smells like what I imagine the hot cocoa and Turkish delight that Jadis the White Witch in the Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobes plies Edmund with to get him to do her bidding.

single_choco_50ml

Eventually, after a gloriously-long while, Chocolatl shifts gears a bit and settles into a nice balsamic and musky drydown, which expertly mirrors the initial slightly bitter tang of the Mexican chocolate hit that the scent started out with.  The shift is imperceptible; this fragrance is very reticent to leave the Maxfield Parrish honeyed hues of the top and heart for the balsamic smoke it finally settles upon as a third act.   The power and longevity for this scent are entirely in keeping with the rest of Euphorium Brooklyn’s offerings – more than adequate power, and sillage that is moderate.  In Chocolatl’s case, I’d go big on application – this is just too yummy of a fragrance to be demure with.

 Euphorium Brooklyn has created an absolutely delightful confection of a scent in Chocolatl – one that truly highlights the ecstatic feeling of a great gourmand scent, without sacrificing complexity.  This is the perfect perfume for your inner child; wear it as you wander into closets and expect to see magic on the other side.

Pam Barr, Senior Contributor

Art Direction: Michelyn Camen EIC

Notes:  DARK MEXICAN COCOA, SPICE & PILONCILLO, TZAPOTL FRUIT, VANILLA & HONEY, BALSAM & MUSK

Editor’s Note: Available also exclusively at Twisted Lily Fragrance Boutique

chocolatl_50ml

Thanks to Euphorium Brooklyn, we have a draw for two registered readers as follows:

CON USA- 30 ml of Chocolatl  and for our international readers a 8ml deluxe sprayer.  To be eligible, please leave a comment with your first childhood perfume, what you liked about Pam’s review  and where you live.  Draw closes 12/22/15.

We announce the winners on our site and on our Facebook page, so Like Cafleurebon and use our RSS optionor your dream prize will be just spilled perfume

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36 comments

  • This sounds amazing! I actually got into perfume through a natural perfumery workshop, where I made a cacao-based fragrance (way before I knew what a gourmand was). I’m a huge dry gourmand fan. I love the comparisons to my childhood favourites. I read the Narnia series over and over. It’s true that there is something magical about what a scent can evoke at first sniff! As a girl I was more interested in the bottles than the perfumes themselves. My grandmother had a perfume in a beautiful bottle with a lily-of-the valley stopper. I loved it! She also had a matching scented body powder with a fancy duster. Lily-of-the-valley will always remind me of her. It all seemed very glamourous to little me! I live in Canada and would love to win the sample. Thanks!

  • Chocolati sounds marvelous, especially as I love chocolate, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and Maxfield Parrish! My first perfume was Arpege, my mother brought the bottle back from their only European vacation. She liked the mother and child illustration on the bottle and Arpege has been in my collection ever since. Thanks for another great review, Pam, and to Euphorium Brooklyn for the opportunity.

  • Gosh this review made me lick my lips and go in search of some chocolate. I loved Pam’s description ‘Chocolatl is sheer childhood joy in a bottle, with just enough adult spice and intrinsic exoticism’. My first childhood perfume was a beautiful violet scent from a local store – a tiny little bottle with purple perfume and violets painted on the bottle. Inexpensive but so evocative for a child like me! Thanks for the draw, am in the UK.

  • madeleine gallay says:

    Oh I love the story here, and the accompanying art. Chocolate is everything. Here by the beach there’s an authentic Mexican bakery that serves Mexican Hot Chocolate, not sweet but richly layered with cardamon. Mexican wedding cookies, pan dulces and guava cakes.

    I would tiptoe into my mother’s bathroom when I was a child, and dab her Jean Nate, eat one of her black Sen-Sens (strange black tiny square breath lozenges with an after-taste of licorice and her puffs, large, that were in a talcum powder box that you had to lift off slowly or it would smoke its way into the air.

    USA. Venice Beach. Thank you.

  • My first childhood perfume was Jean Nate After Bath Splash. I developed my love of fragrance more from the soaps from father would bring back from his travels to Europe.

    I enjoyed Pam’s writing about her lack of a childhood perfume “origin story.” Why some of us are so taken with fragrance and others not is indeed mysterious.

    Chocolati sounds, well, yummy! In the US.

  • I think my first perfume was English Lavender by Yardley. But then I was introduced to many of the classics by my aunt, who imported them from France. I love the art in Pam’s review and her final sentence about Chocolatl as the perfume for one’s inner child always looking for magic wandering through the closets ( or cabinets). Thank you. I’m in the U.S.

  • My first childhood perfume was the brand new, vintage release of Fahrenheit. They don’t make fragrances like they use to. What a fragrance that was. The sillage and quality for a designer fragrance were fantastic. What I liked most about the review was the mention of the complex layering of Mexican Chocolate and honey. Sounds like an amazing combination. Thank you so much for this giveaway. I’m in the U.S..

  • My very first perfume was the Joy Parfum I snuck into on my mother’s vanity. My reaction at the time was “Eeeeewwwww!!” And running to the kitchen begging my mom to get it off me! Of course now, I wish I had that early vintage bottle!
    I loved this review because….um……chocolate! Whether eaten or worn….chocolate! I’m in the USA.

  • I love that even at 40 someone finds their passion. Maybe because I locked into my career in the 4th grade and admire people who make changes well into adulthood. I adore mexican hot cocoa. I’m embarrassed to say, but my first fragrance memory for me is Love’s Baby Soft.

  • What perfect timing! I’ve been looking for another cocoa scent, and haven’t quite found what I’m looking for yet. This looks oh so promising! I love the idea of an “inviting opening layer of Mexican chocolate with a stunning underlying honey note.”

    My first childhood perfume was Exclamation. (Please don’t disqualify me.) I’m in the USA. Thanks a bunch! 🙂

  • I am a HUGE fan of this house!! It all sounds SO good, this was my favorite part of Pam’s fabulous review.
    But beyond all the mystery is delight. Chocolatl is sheer childhood joy in a bottle, with just enough adult spice and intrinsic exoticism to make it more than just another sweet linear confection wafting up from your wrist while you’re out Christmas shopping.
    I live in the U.S. My first perfume that I can remember wearing was a sneak dab of my Mom’s Tigress.
    Thanks for the giveaway!!

  • this is the first fragrance from Euphorium Brooklyn which is gourmand and has been made using their trademark process. It reminds one of childhood and may especially appeal to chocolate lovers..my first perfume was Acqua Di Gio but the one which captured my heart was Givenchy Gentleman. I am in the US

  • I enjoy how Pam took is through the stages of this perfume in storytelling fashion. First childhood perfume, Canoe. 🙂 USA

  • I like Pam’s review on Chocolati especially the part where she analyzes the perfume notes and the way they mix with each other a textural interplay between lightly spiced chocolate and slow ambery honey!
    My first childhood perfume was a small sample of Shalimar perfume by Guerlain from my grandmother when I was seven years old and I will never forget the joyous feeling it brought once I sniffed it.
    I am a registered reader living in EU.
    Thank you for the lovely review and draw as well.

  • Very nice review. I very love the scent and taste of chocolate. I have never tried any perfume with chocolate scent, but I would very like. My first childhood perfume was a peach scented perfume in a peach bottle. I live in Europe.

  • Hello,

    My first favorite childhood perfume was Shalimar. My mom used to wear it when she went out to parties with my dad. I’ll bet I’m not the only one! I like this review, because I’ve never even thought to try a fragrance that smells like chocolate. A great winter idea! I live in NYC. Happy holidays!

    Deb

  • Great review from Pam as always. My first childhood was CK One, my aunt used to wear it when I was a little kid. Love the smell till now I even went through 2 bottles of it.
    I have some fragrance with cocoa powder note but not chocolate scent, guess this might be my first one. *Wink wink ;D

    I live in Malaysia. Thank you for the draw. 🙂

  • baroness_octothorpe says:

    My first childhood perfume, which I recently found in a box of old stuff, was Jovan Modern Flowers Essence. It still smells great (to me at least).

    I love love love chocolate, and I love spicy fragrances, so this sounds like a great interpretation! I’m in the US. Thanks for the draw!

  • It’s funny, I have always imagined how delicious the hot chocolate that Jadis gave to Edmond must have been for him to want to betray his family, so that makes me very intrigued about how Chocolatl must smell. I remember getting a set of Tinkerbell perfumes when I was very young, and I wore them often although my interest in fragrances didn’t start until much later when a friend introduced me to her sample collection. I’m in USA.

  • Fantastic review! My first perfume experience was my mom’s Alissa Ashley Musk oil. She would let me wear it now and then. I also was given Love’s Lemon. To this day I still love musk perfumes and citrus scents. Chocolate and spice and everything nice, sounds like a delicious perfume! I’m in the US, thank you for the draw!

  • This perfume is described so well, it makes me hunger for a bite of chocolate! I love the pictures used to describe it. The balsamic dry down at the end sounds divine. My first childhood perfume was Love’s Lemon, which I found the most beautiful thing at the time! I’m in the USA. Thank you for the draw.

  • This review makes my mouth water! I love how Pam suggests going big when applying because it is too good to be demure about it. My first childhood fragrance was the original Marc Jacobs or something by Calvin Klein. I live in the UAE. Thanks!

  • What a charming intertwining of scent notes with childhood movie memories. My first perfume (not counting a batch of Tinkerbells) was the Jungle Gardenia I nipped from my mom.
    U.S.

  • Beautiful review! My first childhood fragrances were citrus and lavender colognes followed shortly by LouLou! I’m in the UK

  • This scent sounds yummy! I love gourmand type fragrances, especially ones with cocoa. I’m very interested in trying this one out. My first childhood fragrance would probably be Drakkar Noir, my father’s signature scent. Thanks for the draw and I’m in Canada.

  • This sounds like a fragrance my husband would love on me! I’ve also been craving gourmands a bit more this winter (and maybe wearing it would help me resist the second glass of eggnog!). I love that Pam referenced Narnia in her review – the tempting power and magic of something sweet and delicious fits well with that comparison. I came to fragrances rather late in life, but I can remember my mother wearing Body Shop fragrance oils when I was younger, particularly a scent called Dewberry which I think has now been discontinued. If I could smell it again, I know it would bring back so many memories! I’m in the US – thank you!

  • Another great review Pam. Euphorium Brooklyn Chocolatl sounds amazing and the notes give me the impression of a stweetbomb but in a good way, very yummy fragrance. Should work perfect for the nightout and clubbing.
    I’d love to try this one and I gonna put in my must try list. If I’m lucky enought to win this one It would be wonderful.
    My first childhood perfume was Cuba Gold, Cuba Blue, Cuba Orange and Cuba Red that I received in a single box. Cuba gold was the best for me and I discovered that Cuba Gold was a replica of Le Male and then I bought Le Male, my favorite design fragrance for years! Cuba Red I liked too. Cuba Orange was ok. Cuba Blue I didn’t liked much.

    Thank you.
    USA

  • Oh how I love gourmands! This one sounds like the perfect one for this winter season. I gotta get a sample of this one soon! My childhood memory has to be Eternity by Calvin Klein. Absolutely great fragrance. I’m in Canada and thanks for the draw

  • After reading this, I want nothing more than a nice big mug of hot chocolate! Pam, I also “discovered” perfume and fragrance “later in life”… though it seems unfair to call one’s college years “late in life” in my case. My family members didn’t wear a lot of perfume, and I can’t pin down an early memory that intimated my eventual transformation into a perfumista. I avoided gourmands when I first got into perfume, but now I really appreciate the comfort factor in those not-quite-edible but delicious scents. I’m in the US, thanks for the draw.

  • “This may be the first perfume I’ve ever wanted to sip out of a mug on a cold winter morning.” That sentence alone has put Chocolatl at the top of my to-try list. My first childhood perfume was an Avon solid in a compact with a pin. The first perfume I fell in love with was Tabu, given to me as a teenager by my great-grandmother when she moved in with my grandparents because she didn’t wear it anymore. I’m in the US.

  • Iuno Feronia says:

    wow! a perfume like liquid chocolate, I think this is a must have for the new year. my first memory of perfume is my mother bathes in Aromatic Elexier ;-))

    Thanks for the Draw, I live in the EU, Austria.

  • My love of fantasy and chocolate meet here in this Review
    I have tried Pètales and it was quite good. The Narnia and Harry Potter tie in was so much fun. The candy bars in case of dementor attack was just fantastic
    My first childhood perfume was playing with empty bottles but when I was a teen I bought j lo something I can’t remember
    It smelled yummy
    USA

  • I think my first childhood perfume was Avon Small World Cologne Mist. I liked about Pam’s review and her description of this fragrance. Mexican chocolate – mmmmmm! I live in the US.

  • Now I’m craving chocolate! I knew this was a Pam Barr review from the delectable aura rising off the page 😀
    “after I sampled this fragrance, my inner world was lit up with images of the Narnian wardrobe, the candy shoppe in Diagon Alley, and a mad desire for an enormous Wonka Bar.” Ok now I really really want to try it! Chocolate in any form is my favorite food group!

    Narnia was one of the first experiences I had of a book being realer than real. When I finally tasted Turkish Delight, many years after first desiring it, I was disappointed by the limits of that experience. It was so much smaller than my imagination. Hot cocoa in the winter, though, I always understood why that would work. Especially with extra vanilla.

    My very first experience of perfume was the sour chypre scents my grandmothers wore and Drakkar Noir. I didn’t like them but the fact of scent fascinated me and I loved mixing soaps and lotions and my father’s unused bottle of cologne into ‘concoctions’ and in middle school graduated from lotions to body mists and a vanilla solid perfume (one of those Indian soapstone ones, from a display with maybe a dozen of them and a dozen oils). That was the gateway to ‘real perfume’ from Claire’s.

    USA

  • Well this makes me want to go buy a huge box of chocolate and eat it all myself! Talk about a tasty fragrance. I need to try this one in the future. My first childhood perfume was most likely Acqua di Gio. I absolutely was in love with it. Thank you for the draw and I’m international (Toronto).