Essentia aromas & sprays

First choose between an aroma you dose and a spray you atomise. A spray bottle lays the scent on the glass or on the foam and disappears within a minute or two, which is exactly what you want with a drink that is finished quickly. An aroma you add with a pipette goes into the drink itself and stays noticeable to the last sip.

After that, think in directions rather than in individual flavours. Citrus such as lemon, lime and cedro lifts fresh, sour drinks and works well on sparkling wine too. Floral notes like lavender, jasmine and damask rose suit clear spirits. Woody and spiced, so cedarwood, cardamom and black pepper, belongs with brown spirits and bitter recipes. With three bottles from different directions you can touch on almost the entire menu.

From about twenty centimetres away, spray a single mist over the glass, not into it. Pressing twice is almost always too much: scent behaves like salt here, you only notice it once there is too much of it. With a drink that has a foam layer, spray onto the foam itself, because it catches the mist and holds it until the guest picks up the glass.

If you want the aroma in the drink instead, dose a few drops into the shaker before you add the ice. Cedarwood and black pepper are strong with a negroni, citrus and floral notes suit a dry martini, and orange leaves does something surprising with an espresso martini.

Store the bottles upright, in the dark and at room temperature. Aromas are volatile, so a bottle standing in the sun on the bar loses its top scent layer within weeks and smells flatter afterwards. Always screw the cap back on, even during a busy service.

Rinse the spray head when you switch scents, otherwise the next mist carries the previous one with it and you end up with a blend nobody intended. Warm water is enough. Let the head dry completely before you put it back, because water left behind in the tube dilutes the first puffs from the next bottle.

If you would rather work with something visible than with scent alone, the dried garnish section has fruit slices and flowers you take straight from the pack. For the tools you zest, peel and garnish with, look at the garnish tools. If you want to work with smoke rather than atomised scent, the cocktail smokers have their own section. And if you are looking for the glassware all of this lands in, start with the cocktail glasses.