Arquiste’s
second take on vanilla after Anima Dulcis,
Architects Club, flies the pod out of
Mexico City to land it in the Fumoir of the Claridge’s in London – an Art Deco
time machine tucked behind a door designed by René Lalique.
The
former explored it as a New World ingredient “discovered”, along with cocoa and
chili, by the Spanish nuns who invented Mexican cuisine. Re-smelling recently,
I zeroed in on a surprising twist: a spicy Prunol-type accord that runs it
through with a chypre structure derived from Femme. Inspired by Arquiste founder Carlos Huber’s cocktail of
choice, Architects Club also features
a coup de theatre.
Vanilla’s
usual drinking partner is rum, which actually picks up its vanilla facet from
the oak casks it’s aged in – Bertrand Duchaufour’s late, lamented Havana Vanille played on this affinity. Here,
Yann Vasnier goes against the grain by getting it tipsy on dry martini. Both
gin and vermouth are blends of several botanicals also used in perfumery. Juniper,
angelica, lavender, clary sage, bitter orange, lemon, coriander, cardamom,
nutmeg and orris root all feature in the formula of Architects Club, embroidering the scent with green aromatic beads
that fizz when you pop them.
The
dry martini accord picks up on the woodiness of vanilla but cuts through its
sweetness and highlights its warmth through contrast, conjuring the icy burn of
the cocktail. A lash of Ambermax, a rocket-fuel-strength ambery-woody synthetic
with a cedar facet, stands in for its uncompromising dryness. As the fragrance
develops, the martini evaporates, giving way to a smoky, breezy vanilla.
Architects Club has a good-time,
midnight-in-the-afternoon party feel to it. At a 25% concentration, its effects
are as potent and long-lasting as a dry martini’s – a couple of spritzes should
see you through to closing time.
Mexicans invented Mexican cuisine.
RépondreSupprimerGranted, I summed up a bit brutally the explanations Carlos Huber gave me of the beginnings of Mexican cuisine -- from what I understand, it was in the convents that Spanish recipes and local ingredients were first "hybridized" into what would become a part of Mexican cuisine. But I'm no specialist and it wasn't the point of the blog post!
SupprimerA dear friend kindly gave me a sample of this and the more I wear it the more I like it. It has grown on me. You have described it perfectly! However, I imagine that these days architects might prefer more minimalist clubs .... I can't see modern designers in the sort of club that this rich perfume evokes!
RépondreSupprimerJillie
I can just imagine designers wearing Molecule 01 and feeling very smug about it!
RépondreSupprimer