It's early for a cocktail, but still, this got me thinking: "Jasmine syrup by Bacanha is an aromatic concentrate of flowers from this famous plant. Its sweet and flowery aroma combines with its exceptional scent. Raw jasmine syrup will be perfect for your tea, iced tea, lemonade, mocktail and cocktail preparations." $13 for 400 ml at Beautyhabit, where they also have Organic Raw Basil syrup, plus two syrup gift sets (Lemon Life, with Bergamot, Yuzu and Lime; or Cocktail Tonic, with Ginger, Mojito and Rose).
The daily lemming
You probably already have too much perfume, but too much chocolate? Nah. From Vosges: "The wait is over. Our limited edition Chocolate Calendar of Advent has arrived. An homage to Place des Vosges, each brick has been hand-drawn and placed to reveal the magical wonder of Paris during the holiday season. Prepare for daily enchantment as you count down the days of December in our limited-edition advent box. Behind every numbered door an array of ‘haut-chocolat’ awaits you, caramels, mini exotic chocolate bars, and even happy hedgehogs and magical gnomes! The perfect advent gift for a passionate foodie – self-gifting encouraged." Pre-order at Vosges now for $145. (Hat tip / Enabler Pin / Blame goes to Jalapeno!)
The layering of cacao and jasmine
In the 17th century, Cosimo III de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, ordered the royal pharmacist, Francesco Redi, to devise a secret recipe for chocolate, at the time still a fairly recent arrival from the Americas. Redi’s elaborate instructions, revealed only after his death, demanded the layering of cacao and jasmine, with the flowers to be exchanged each day for fresh ones for 10 to 12 days running. The scented beans were then ground with additional flowers — vanilla orchids likewise imported from the New World — and sugar, cinnamon and ambergris, the waxy slough from the intestines of a sperm whale.
— Read more in The Ethereal Taste of Flowers at The New York Times.
The daily lemming
Goutal Paris is celebrating their 40th anniversary with a collector butterfly bottle (above left, 100 ml, sold empty, $135 at Hudson's Bay in Canada) and a limited edition pastry, available at Maison Angelina in Paris for the month of September only (above right, "Angelina's pastry chef Christophe Appert has created an exclusive pastry based on rose and pear, the iconic notes of the eponymous perfume "Petite Chérie", in the shape of the iconic butterfly ball. A collaboration that offers a unique moment of tasting, for the nose as well as the palate.")
The route an aroma takes to the olfactory system
Researchers are exploring how the route an aroma takes to the olfactory system – through the nose or the back of the throat – influences the person’s response to the scent. They are also examining how information about a scent – such as knowing its name – impacts perception. Scientists at The Ohio State University, US, hope to eventually use this information to enhance flavor development to make healthier and nutritious food more appealing to the senses.
— Read more in US scientists sniff out aroma perception pathways for enhanced food flavors at Food Ingredients 1st.