Cocktail (1930)
by Jean Patou

I give a resounding second to the reviews below. Cocktail is a sophisticated, elegant fragrance and is one of the esteemed Ma Collection fragrances from Jean Patou. Whenever the subject comes up of what to wear to dinner, the discussion often concludes with some demanding that no fragrance be worn at all, while die-hards will be hard pressed to do without their fragrance. Cocktail easily solves the problem. It is anything but overwhelming and stays close to the skin. I've been to events where the smell of Amarige or Cinnabar or Aromatics Elixir almost overshadowed everything else. These aren't terrible fragrances. Far from it. But their effect can be gigantic, especially in a setting where food is involved and especially if the wearers are anosmic to their own fragrance and spritz just a bit more than normal because it's an evening event. Enter Cocktail. This gem will never compete with the food on your plate or the liquid in your glass. In fact, it will complement both. Notes are already listed, so I won't repeat them. And, yes, there is some subtle and gorgeous amber in here. Perfect for sport or an evening out, Cocktail is a classic that deserves to be returned to Patou's regular line up. It's too good to be put out to pasture.

Wafting along with the piquancy of a martini, Cocktail refreshes and sparkles without being really very sweet, or fruity, or very floral, for that matter. I believe there may be a lavender note in here contributing to the dry effect of Cocktail, which makes it so especially unique.

Created in 1930 by Jean Patou to mimic an apertif, Cocktail is a fruity chypre, smooth yet crisp and topped with a bracing twist of lavendar and a cooling, tonic-like petitgrain. The mellow, relaxed fruitiness is derived from the floral notes and most particularly a honeysuckle note that is uniquely Patou, not too sweet and not too humid. Other notes include hyacinth, jasmine, rose, amber (possibly - depending on which source you consult) and, of course, oakmoss. This is an enjoyable scent to wear, sophisticated in such an easily languid way, like having cocktails at dusk out by the tennis courts before getting all dressed up for a big formal dinner. Not that I myself live that way - but I can certainly pretend when I wear Patou Cocktail! Like all great fragrances, Cocktail indeed has the power to transport, and the delightful splash bottle just heightens the sense of traveling off in your mind to another place, another time.