I recently blind bought a bottle of Guerlain L’Homme Ideal Eau de Parfum after coming across several reviews noting a cherry accord despite it not being one of the listed notes.
Additionally, reviews have meandered and mentioned my all time favorite, YSL M7. I have several bottles of the vintage; it was the first fragrance that took me beyond just someone who wore “cologne” to someone who sought out fragrances that appealed to me with a greater appreciation of their subtle (or not so subtle) notes.
With L’HEdP, I absolutely love the cherry accord and can see some of the reference to M7. There just aren’t that many cherry fragrances out there... these both have wood and amber bases. They are very different otherwise, with M7 being more medicinal and challenging and L’HEdP being more inviting and forgiving. I recently have taken to combining it with All Saints Incense city which is an arid and transparent incense with a sandalwood and amber base. It brings it closer to a lighter more versatile M7, however without the heart and fire of the classic.
This brings me to my more recent musing... Luxardo maraschino cherries. If you haven’t had them go out to a bar and ask for one (small bottle is $20). Unlike the neon red American maraschino variety Luxardos are a rich deep purple, almost black. Rather than a thin artificial red watery syrup, they sit in a thick almost resinous purple-black syrup. They almost look like oil cured olives.
Their flavor is rich and sublime, an amazing addition to complex brown and amber cocktails where a “Shirley Temple cherry” would just subtract from the drink. It’s flavor is so concentrated, deep and dark... it’s hard to imagine this wasn’t fermented or somehow concentrated in some way beyond the use of simple sugar. The only way I have been able to describe it to friends is if you have had a really good dark chocolate that almost has a fruit note to it... that dark fruit note is the flavor of Luxardo cherries.
Also, if you have never had it their Liqueur is another level:
“Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur is a clear cherry liqueur made from Sour Marasca cherries which are cultivated exclusively by the Luxardo family in the orchards of the Euganean Hills in Veneto. The cherries including the stones, branches and leaves are placed in larchwood vats for two years to infuse with neutral alcohol. Then the infusion including the solids is distilled and the heart of the cherry distillate is aged in large Finnish ash wood vats for a 12-18 months. “
That description from the liqueur made me wonder if there were any cherry fragrances so rich, complicated and challenging.? Luxardo cherry, cherry wood branches, herbal leaves, age and ash wood.
Additionally, reviews have meandered and mentioned my all time favorite, YSL M7. I have several bottles of the vintage; it was the first fragrance that took me beyond just someone who wore “cologne” to someone who sought out fragrances that appealed to me with a greater appreciation of their subtle (or not so subtle) notes.
With L’HEdP, I absolutely love the cherry accord and can see some of the reference to M7. There just aren’t that many cherry fragrances out there... these both have wood and amber bases. They are very different otherwise, with M7 being more medicinal and challenging and L’HEdP being more inviting and forgiving. I recently have taken to combining it with All Saints Incense city which is an arid and transparent incense with a sandalwood and amber base. It brings it closer to a lighter more versatile M7, however without the heart and fire of the classic.
This brings me to my more recent musing... Luxardo maraschino cherries. If you haven’t had them go out to a bar and ask for one (small bottle is $20). Unlike the neon red American maraschino variety Luxardos are a rich deep purple, almost black. Rather than a thin artificial red watery syrup, they sit in a thick almost resinous purple-black syrup. They almost look like oil cured olives.
Their flavor is rich and sublime, an amazing addition to complex brown and amber cocktails where a “Shirley Temple cherry” would just subtract from the drink. It’s flavor is so concentrated, deep and dark... it’s hard to imagine this wasn’t fermented or somehow concentrated in some way beyond the use of simple sugar. The only way I have been able to describe it to friends is if you have had a really good dark chocolate that almost has a fruit note to it... that dark fruit note is the flavor of Luxardo cherries.
Also, if you have never had it their Liqueur is another level:
“Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur is a clear cherry liqueur made from Sour Marasca cherries which are cultivated exclusively by the Luxardo family in the orchards of the Euganean Hills in Veneto. The cherries including the stones, branches and leaves are placed in larchwood vats for two years to infuse with neutral alcohol. Then the infusion including the solids is distilled and the heart of the cherry distillate is aged in large Finnish ash wood vats for a 12-18 months. “
That description from the liqueur made me wonder if there were any cherry fragrances so rich, complicated and challenging.? Luxardo cherry, cherry wood branches, herbal leaves, age and ash wood.