Ode to the St. Germain cocktail

a silly Thursday post, created after too many hours in the hot sun . . .


Elderflower Power

Have you ever tried the delicious, amazing, delectable St. Germain liqueur?  If not, you are missing out on one seriously perfect summer cocktail.  St. Germain is a sweet fruity liqueur made from Elderflowers.  It's delicate and fragrant with notes of pink grapefruit and lychee.  It is ideal to cook with (great basted on shrimp or salmon with a little melted butter) and even better to drink!  My love for St. Germain prompted me and my um, associates to create a little poem.  It is important to note this ode to St. Germain was written after drinking a few St. Germain cocktails :)

St. Germain--I love you so

and not because I'm "in the know"

You taste like lychee fruit divine

and are often on my mind

A perfect quaff for summer days, and dusky nights and catching rays.

You are the new hip drink of choice, so my gay boy friends do voice.

Your bottle is art deco lovely, tall and lean not in between

and should be put on display to be seen

How could a perfumer not adore you?

Made in France by hand and from flowers too?

Incroyable! Enchante!

I could imbibe you everyday

Your elderflower blossoms are

picked by men on bikes not by car

Champagne, white wine, vodka, gin

You blend with all, it is no sin!

St. Germain, I love you so

From head to heart to my big toe

Eva Luna Perfume Launch

 Inspired by Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream

Providence Perfume Co. Proudly Presents:

Verdant carrot kisses, spring green flowers, 

joyful lovers, a moonlit dance 

All Natural Perfume - Providence Perfume Company

EVA LUNA 

eau de parfum

Top Notes: Russian Carrot, Fresh Mint Leaf, French Mimosa, Bois de Rose, 

Heart Notes: Tuberose, Plumeria, Rose de Mai, Jasmine, Violet Leaf

Base Notes: Oman Frankincense, Ambrette, Orris

My newest fragrance Eva Luna was created for submission to the Shakespeare Perfume Event coordinated by Amanda Feeley.  An invitation was extended to 16 natural perfumers requesting that we create a perfume inspired by Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.  I must admit I had to brush up on this play as I hadn't read any Shakespeare since college.  All I remembered was A Midsummer Night's Dream contained a plethora of characters falling in and out of love which initially confused me when reading.  Upon revisiting, I was again seduced by Shakespeare's humor and biting wit.  The theme of A Midsummer Night's Dream seemed (to me) to be the absurdity of love.  Shakespeare highlights this throughout the work through countless examples.  The classic line, "Lord what fools these mortals be" echoing in my head I set about blending a magical romantic spring scent.  

I knew I wanted to use carrot full of orange zesty freshness, mimosa with it's watery green cucumber-like notes, and tuberose full of rich floral romance and seduction.  I built my fragrance around these notes, adding a lemony frankincense from Oman to the base, a bit of vanilla, violet leaf to tame the sweet floral notes, a floral musk derived from ambrette to add sexiness, fine mint absolute to brighten.  A perfect blend of summer nights, romance and moonlight.

I decided to name my Midsummer Night's Dream perfume EVA LUNA for two reasons.  First the name Eva Luna conjures romantic Spanish derivatives of "night moon."  Second, the spectacular telenovella Eva Luna seemed a perfect modern day foil for Shakespeare's romantic play where characters fall in and out of love with the help of a little magic.

Reviews of the 16 perfumes will be posting soon.  Stay tuned.  Eva Luna eau de parfum is now available online at: www.providenceperfume.com

Coming soon, our blog on organic perfume.

Providence Perfume Co. Launches New Natural Perfume EVA LUNA Inspired by A Midsummer Night's Dream

Here is a sneak peek at our pre-release flyer

More details coming soon

UNCORKED! A Natural Perfumers Guild Blogging Event

Celebrating the voices of the Natural Perfumers Guild members telling us all their inner stories of how they came to love natural aromatics *or* why they love natural perfumery

Providence Perfume Co. - We specialize in natural perfume

Extra, Extra!  Read All About It.  Click on the blog links below to discover each members personal story.  Participating Natural Perfumers Guild Member Blogs Include: 

http://lordsjesterinc.wordpress.com/

http://aleclawless.blogspot.com

http://anuessentials.com/blog/

http://anyasgarden.blogspot.com

http://providenceperfume.blogspot.com

http://alittleolfactory.blogspot.com/

http://dshnotebook.wordpress.com/

http://gttbygtt.aromatarii.com/

http://bellyflowers.blogspot.com

http://www.roseenbos.com/category/blog

www.cafleurebon.com 

http://lesparfumsdisabelle.wordpress.com/

http://www.joannebassett.com/natural_perfumes

http://www.aromaticsinternational.com/blog/

www.oliveandoud.blogspot.com

http://blossomingtree.blogspot.com

http://ellenoire.blogspot.com/

http://roberttisserand.com/blog/

http://olfactoryrescueservice.wordpress.com/

http://aromatherapycontessa.com

http://absolutetrygve.blogspot.com

A Personal Account of How I Began My Love Affair 

With Naturals 

by Charna Ethier

owner of Providence Perfume Co.

Growing up the child of hippie parents perhaps predetermined my affinity for all things natural.  It was what I knew.  I learned of squash blossoms, blackberries and maple syrup.  I was taught how to weed and mulch the garden at a young age.  I recognized the change of seasons by smell.  I could tell when autumn was arriving before the plants seemed to realize their imminent demise.  I could sniff the air and foretell an impending thunderstorm before the clouds started to gather.  I just knew when it was going to snow by the smell of the air.  

My parents had a farm (read commune) in rural New England.  Believe it or not, the name of the town in which my parents farm was located was called Unity.  I'm serious.  To get to the farm one must drive up an extremely steep dirt road called Straw Hill for miles.  Nestled at the top of the hill lay my parents farmstead.  I have bad memories of our clunky old VW Bug spinning it's tires on the snow covered road in winter, only to slide back down the steep icy hill.  Eventually my mother would smile as she haphazardly tried to keep the small car from ending up in the ditch, and tell us to pull our winter hats down and make sure our snowsuits were buttoned--we would be walking the rest of the way home.  Despite the cold long walk, what I remember most about those evenings was the clear night sky, the bright stars and moon, the smell of woodsmoke and wool as I breathed through my scarf, the crunch of the snow under my boots.

We always had lots of visitors, parties and animals.  Oftentimes these visitors would end up staying with us for months, even years.  These visitors brought new smells.  I remember Nag Champa incense, patchouli, Brylcreem and Charlie cologne.  New smells, exotic and unfamiliar.  I liked these smells but considered them potent and possibly dangerous.  This childhood connotation between unfamiliar scents and danger could be derived from a Charlie cologne wearing woman with long black hair who stayed with us during the summer of 1980.  She seemed potent and possibly dangerous to me.  She only smiled with her mouth, not her eyes and left abruptly one day leaving her dogeared copy of "The Modern Witch's Spellbook" on the back porch.

Now I have no back porch, but from my patio in Providence I still rejoice in the aromas of my surroundings, some natural and familiar such as the green scent of tomato leaves baking in the sun, some exotic such as the delicious scent of curry wafting from my neighbor's window.  I still get a thrill out of smelling everything.  I love scents and am drawn to sniffing everything I can get my hands on.  I love natural ingredients.  I love the multihued palette.  I love sampling rare, exotic botanicals I've never smelled.  Just as I did as a child, I seek out new smells, exotic and unfamiliar.  Sadly, I may not be able to travel to Thailand, but when I smell kaffir lime leaf I can almost imagine that I am there.

Contact us at: providenceperfume@gmail.com to learn more about our natural perfume.

Coming soon, our blog on organic perfume