Rituals Series II: Aphrodisiacs at MiN New York

On Tuesday night, thanks to a sweet little Gilt City deal, I attended the Rituals Series II: Aphrodisiacs session held at MiN New York. Before I begin my recap, I'd like to point out that I had little idea as to what the session would be like nor had I ever been to the MiN New York shop before. However, after having experienced the delights of Tuesday night, I can safely promise that I will definitely be returning to MiN New York again in the near future. I can also guarantee that because, along with the Aphrodisiacs session, I also bought a ticket for the Scents for Foodies session. But I digress.

Walking into MiN for the first time, I was pleasantly surprised to find myself in a cozy apothecary, with endless bottles of perfumes scattered along the European-style shelves and caselines, comfy leather couches, and a wooden bar behind which our mixologist, Yusef, prepared and presented our cocktails for the evening. As the event summary promised, there was also a spread of cheese, chocolates, fruits and crackers  greeting us in the middle of the room.

Through the session, we were introduced to an array of 5 perfumes and 5 coordinating cocktails. We were taught how to identify the unique scents and aromas of each perfume and drink, as well as how each of these components tied into the theme of the night: aphrodisiacs.

 
The night kicked off with the introduction of Poivre Piquant by L'Artisan Parfumeur, a perfume featuring distinct notes of white pepper, alongside a drink featuring gin, ginger, white pepper syrup, lime juice, and kaffir lime dust garnished with tarragon sprig. The sharp accents of the white pepper mixed with the tart flavors of the lime and kaffir lime dust combined to give this drink a little spicy kick.

The next perfume presented featured hints of saffron - hence the name, Safron Troublant. The corresponding drink was probably my favorite of the evening - or at least the one I'd be most likely to find a way to drink again. This cocktail combined dry gin with a saffron and vanilla bean syrup, lemon juice, and rose champagne and was topped with a beautiful white rose petal. The drink was pleasantly sweet and fruity, masking the flavors of the gin (now might be the time to admit that I am a wimp and cannot really bear the taste of alcohol on its own). Admittedly, I did not detect flavors of saffron or vanilla bean and could really only notice the rose champagne, but I'm sure those two flavors were playing a behind-the-scenes role in producing this delightfully refreshing drink.

As you may have noticed by now, we were being served full size cocktails. That being said, as expected, by this point in the evening, the details on each of the perfumes and drinks began to blur together. The third perfume, Figue Amere by Miller Harris, was characterized by essence of fig and resultantly, we were presented with a tray of beautifully pan-roasted figs in balsamic vinegar. We were told that the figs would complement our next drink, which was a port infused with lemongrass and mixed with star anise simple syrup and a Thai basil leaf. But unfortunately, I don't like figs so I suppose I skipped this round of aphrodisiacs. However, my taste buds were so preoccupied with the surprising flavor of this drink that I hardly noticed what I was missing out on. This drink was surprisingly quite sweet and the flavor of the star anise was prominently featured. I was actually quite taken aback by this drink because prior to this experience, I had only ever tasted star anise in generally salty, soy sauce-laden stews. But the star anise, simple syrup, and the Thai basil came together so beautifully in this drink, mixing with the port to produce flavors of licorice and exude a very exotic feel.

I'm not sure I even remember what the fourth perfume, Back to Black by Kilian, was like. But the drink I do (vaguely) remember - a mix of tequila, vodka infused with cardamom and nutmeg, chamomile honey, lime juice, and a sprig of cilantro, all presented with a really awesome silver straw. Now when I heard what was going into this drink, my mind started spinning in circles wondering how I would be getting home later that night. Actually, I have no clue how anyone was able to finish all the drinks that evening and still manage to get home - I only fully finished two drinks! Anyways back to the drink - I only had a few sips of this one, as I knew the combination of tequila and vodka would be lethal for my sobriety, but digging past the flavors of the alcohol, I found the mix of the chamomile honey and the lime juice to be deliciously pleasant. I was surprised not to have found any flavors of cilantro, being that it usually presents such a strong, distinct flavor, but had the flavor come through, I think it would have provided a nice balance against the sweetness of the honey.

The last perfume of the evening, Aziyade by Parfum d'Empire, featured pomegranates and dates. The corresponding drink was a mix of rum, orgeat syrup, and orange juice, with the edges of the glass lined with dates and possibly a ginger powder (?). I tried to take a picture of the drink, but by this time, the lights had already been dimmed (and I mean literally dimmed - I wasn't just closing my eyes), so the camera on my phone could not capture anything. Like the previous drink, I only had a few sips, but unfortunately I was unable to sample enough to really be able to identify and/or remember any flavors aside from the rum. I do remember the rim of the glass being quite deliciously sweet and tasty though!

At the end of the session, each participant is presented with a gift bag containing an array of perfume samples as well as a list of all recipes and perfumes introduced in the session.

All in all, I definitely enjoyed this Rituals Series II session at MiN New York and will definitely be returning again for another session. If you're not a fan of perfumes, aromas, and/or scents (which I actually honestly am not), there are still plenty of things to learn from the cocktail portion of the session and thus I would strongly advise you to schedule a visit.