After months of planning and preparation last Thursday saw us host the official press launch of our new gin-inspired fragrance Juniper Sling. Created by master perfumer Olivier Crisp (who joined us for the evening), the scent was inspired by London Dry Gin and the gin-drinking Bright Young Things of the 1920s. With this in mind, we set out to create an event with a bit of a difference; a scented supper in a secret speakeasy!
The unlikely venue for our event was the top floor of an NCP car park in Fitzrovia, with guests ascending to the space via a giant car lift before stepping out onto our black carpet. With giant mirrored starbursts, deco palm trees, amazing mirrored bar, jazz pianist and tables set for dinner, we transformed the venue into an illegal drinking den circa 1920, complete with classic gin cocktails created by the bartenders Jarrod and Richard with gorgeous Bloom gin. It was brilliant to see so many surprised faces as those lift doors opened!
We worked with pop-up restaurant experts The Clove Club (led by the dapper Dan Willis and Johnny Smith) to create a Juniper Sling scented supper for our guests to feast on. The menu, created by Chefs Jon Rotheram, Robin Holmgren, Dave and Shaun, was inspired by the notes within the fragrance. Kicking off with juniper smoked sea trout (spritzed at the table with an edible Juniper essence!), we then moved onto peppered lamb rump with roasted courgettes (roasted on a BBQ on the roof of the car park!) and finished with the utterly divine black cherry and brown sugar ice cream (which I could happily eat every day for the rest of my life if I had the opportunity).
We were delighted to welcome guests from Psychologies, Vogue, GQ, Shortlist, Net-A Porter, WGSN and The Arbuturian, as well as some of our favourite bloggers including Grant Osbourne (Basenotes), Kim Deadman (Rose by the Thames), Get Lippie, Amy and Kirsty from Tatty Devine, Mademoiselle Robot and Monsieur Robot to name but a few! We do hope everyone enjoyed their time in our secret speakeasy.
After such a brilliant evening our thoughts have turned to what to do next…I’ve always wanted to host an event in a disused tube station. Watch this space!
Emily.
I bought this a few days ago, and oh how I wish I’d seen the blog earlier! Juniper Sling is absolutely lovely and I adore the presentation – I have a great collection of Penhaligon’s fragrances and this is now pride of place….
I think that I could wear it in the daytime as well as in the evening too: thank you for adding this to the collection!
I pray I can find this in Colorado. In fact, I pray I could find an entire store filled with your fragrances, I am ready to select something new for a new phase in my life
I can’t wait to smell this scent! I like the name too ‘Juniper Sling’ – kind of jovial, sweet, a throwback. Your design team is just cool. Although all of the bottles are the same, the designs, colors, type give each scent a very distinct character. Keep up the great work!
I’ve smelled this fragrance and although I love it, I think the name is dreadful – I understood that the original name was going to be Fitzrovia? That would been far more fitting for the line and indeed the fragrance itself.
I will be getting this fragrance but won’t be telling people what it’s called.
Hi Andy
Thanks for your post and feedback.
When deciding upon the name (which itself is a challenging process) we felt it was important to recognise the role of Gin inspiring the creation of this fragrance, including a nod to the fact that we’re using Juniper as they key ingredient – in fact we’re one of the first fragrance houses to do so. The ‘Sling’ links to the 1920s as this fragrance is intended to embody a playful, chilled and mysterious homage to the Bright Young Things of London’s roaring twenties! Whilst Fitzrovia is a good name we felt Juniper Sling best embodied the inspiration and story of our new fragrance.
- Nicky
It really looks wonderfull. Can’t wait to smell the gin
Oh wow that looks so delicious! I wish I could have been a part of that.