Welcome to Our Glorious Lifestyle by Shag

New Year’s Eve is our night to usher out old, and welcome a fresh new year. We are full of hope and ready to meet the challenges we face, but first we gather together to celebrate. Society dictates that one person be chosen to refrain from imbibing alcoholic beverages so that all can get home safely afterwards: the Designated Driver. Before you bemoan that having that task fall to you is a sorry fate, we are here to help, with a selection of booze-inspired fragrances (and non-alcoholic beverages) that will help you fit right in and have a great evening with no hangover and intact memory.

Cocktails Illustration by Henry Hayworth

Starting the evening with a few cocktails, how about something made with gin? Penhaligon’s Juniper Sling is bright, fresh, and redolent of aromatic juniper berries. Bracing and delightful, Juniper Sling will keep you alert and sociable. Sip a tall glass of tonic with lots of lime and you will definitely feel part of the crowd. If whiskey is more your cup of tea, so to speak, you can’t go wrong with Luckyscent exclusive Decennial Bois Bourbon, with its slightly sweet, spicy notes reminiscent of a top-shelf mash. Have a refreshing glass of ginger ale with a twist to accompany your aroma.

The Dinner Party by Jules-Alexandre Grun

At the dinner table or buffet, the wine flows freely. Opt for sparkling mineral water to drink, but wear Kelly & Jones #3 Notes of Cabernet, a piquant blend of black cherry and vintage leather created to enhance the complex scent of fine wine as well as hearty victuals. You’ll smell as delicious as the delicacies at the table.  If lighter fare is being served and you prefer a fragrance to match,Jardins d’Ecrivains Wilde (named for Oscar Wilde), with its slightly grapey, fruity scent, will be the perfect accompaniment. Your friends will be impressed with your ability to pair perfume with food as adeptly as they pair wines. For dessert, nothing beats the narcotic, honeyed scent of Ginestet Botrytis. While you sip your creamy cappuccino, your companions’ ports and sherries won’t hold a candle to your intoxicating fragrance.

                                                          To Absinthe Friends by Niagara                                                                  

Post-dinner drinks run the gamut from creamy liqueurs to doctored coffees to exotica. There is almost nothing more exotic than the ritual and purported psychotropic effects of absinthe. As your companions succumb to the ghostly swirls of wormwood, you’ll smell divine, and just as exotic, in L’Artisan Parfumeur Fou D’Absinthe. Rich, deep, and sweet, laced with spice and licorice absinthe notes, anyone who snuffles you will be captivated. Your bartender should be able to make you a bitter hot chocolate, or try a spicy home-brewed ginger beer to add zing to your evening.

The clock is getting ready to strike, and the revelers are out in full force, glitzy party hats on, dancing and making merry. One last toast of champagne as the clock strikes midnight, and you are wearing the divine Yves. St.Laurent Yvresse, a perfume that sparkles as much as the wine bubbling into everyone’s noses. Instead of the ubiquitous sparkling cider, try some non-alcoholic sparkling wine to fill your champagne glass.

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HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! My samples were graciously provided by Luckyscent, Penhaligon’s, L’Artisan Parfumeur, Sens-Unik, the US Distributor for Jardins D'Ecrivains, and Kelly & Jones.

– Tama Blough, Senior Editor

"Spritz" your cocktail this year, no hangover

Editor’s Note:  This was one of my favorite posts by our colleague Tama Blough, written December 30, 2013 right before the New Year. This is the first article I ever re-posted and had another planned, but it is just so  perfect. As we look ahead to 2015, I reflect on just how beautiful a writer Tama is and how very much we miss her.  We toast you Tama and send you our love. And to our readers, spritz don't drink and drive. Happy New Year, perfumistas –Michelyn Camen, Editor in Chief