Guerlain at Four Seasons Montréal: The ultimate cocktail and fragrance pairing

Remember those wonderful, delicious cocktails created by Jay Lawson, head mixologist at the Four Seasons Hotel Montréal? In the lead-up to the holiday season, the experience, still at the Marcus Bar de Nuit, gets even better with Guerlain, in a showcase of flavours and tastes in perfect harmony, built around six cocktails composed around the House’s signature accord. Read on to learn more.

The World of Guerlain and Its Guerlinade

If you know a little about the world of Guerlain and its Guerlinade, you’ll understand right away what it’s about. To be honest, I only discovered it that evening, so for fellow Guerlain newcomers like me, here’s a short explanation. 

Let’s begin. It was Jacques Guerlain, nephew of Aimé (the son of founder Pierre-François-Pascal Guerlain), who created the Guerlinade, the signature of the House’s fragrances since 1921. 

But what is the Guerlinade, you ask? According to Wikipedia, it is a perfume base, a blend built on iris and vanilla, created in 1921 by Jacques Guerlain from Jicky, the earlier fragrance created by his uncle Aimé Guerlain in 1889. That’s a start, but there’s more. According to Sylvaine Delacourte, of the blog of the same name and a former creative director at Guerlain, the formula comes from a fragrance created by Jacques Guerlain in 1921. She goes further, describing the Guerlinade in this article as a state of mind that gives fragrances style, presence and great sensuality. You adore them, even worship them, or sometimes you walk right past them, but a Guerlain fragrance always leaves a trace in the memory of others. To keep it short and get back to the experience, it is a blend of different scents: jasmine, bergamot, rose, iris, vanilla and tonka. These notes are represented through the six exceptional sillages of the Extraits Signature, which reveal the most perfect, most singular, most Guerlain expression of the Guerlinade’s signature raw materials, at an ultimate concentration of 30%.

These fragrances are:

• Vanille Planifolia Extrait 21
• Tonka Sarrapia Extrait 75
• Iris Palladia Extrait 6
• Rose Centifolia Extrait 1
• Bergamote Fantastico Extrait 11
• Jasmin Grandiflorum Extrait 30

These extracts are available through this link.

How the Guerlinade Is Woven Into the Experience

The notes mentioned above guide the tasting through six ephemeral miniature cocktails, each revealing a distinct facet of the accord that has shaped Guerlain’s creations since 1828. House-made infusions and seasonal ingredients, as only Mr. Lawson can do, bring texture and nuance to each interpretation. The iris is offered as a non-alcoholic creation, a truly interesting addition midway through the tasting that keeps the experience flowing. A shared respect for nature inspires the experience, reflected in Guerlain’s precious raw materials and in the imaginative use of ingredients by the Four Seasons’ “mad scientist.” By balancing aromas, textures and flavours, he gives each note its own expression in the glass.

More often than not, when we taste cocktails, the nose isn’t what we think of first. In this experience, however, priced at $95 per person, you’re invited to pay attention to it, and it’s fascinating. The olfactory journey continued throughout our visit as we were invited to smell the different fragrances using a fan. Our senses were overwhelmed and completely carried away by these delights. 

“This collaboration was an opportunity to create an immersive sensory experience inspired by Guerlain’s heritage and French craftsmanship,” says Jay Lawson, head of mixology at the Marcus. He adds, and I share his view, “Perfumery and mixology share a natural connection through the balance and interplay of aromatic notes. We explored that relationship through complementary and contrasting ingredients, creating a dialogue between fragrance and flavour. It felt like a natural evolution of our cocktail tasting experience.”

The Six Miniature Cocktails

Like many of the cocktails at the Marcus Bar de Nuit, each cocktail in the experience comes in its own signature glass, which enriches the experience by adding a visual dimension that helps transport you. It’s a feast for the eyes before you taste each delicious cocktail.

The setting of the Bar de Nuit amplifies the experience. You feel a bit like you’re in a speakeasy: the space is dark, but the light is wonderfully soft, in golden and amber tones. It’s a hidden corner of the bar that you don’t always notice at first glance. This cocoon-like feeling draws you into a connection with the different cocktails.

The cocktails are all delicate, even though some are made with stronger spirits; the head mixologist’s sense of balance is the key to this experience. Nothing is overly sweet, and it’s a far cry from the festive bars that pop up this time of year.  

Jasmine

Judging by its colour, you might think this cocktail features rose. It’s made with rice wine, rosé vermouth, pandan and green cardamom.

Olfactory pairing: Jasmin Grandiflorum Extrait 30

Bergamot

Here again, delicacy and finesse, with white peach, aloe, chamomile and bitter citrus.

Olfactory pairing: Bergamote Fantastico Extrait 11

Rose

Tequila, lychee, honey, orange blossom.

Olfactory pairing: Rose Centifolia Extrait 1

Iris (non-alcoholic)

Refreshing, with pear shining beautifully, rounded out by gentian and verjus.

Olfactory pairing: Iris Palladia Extrait 6

Vanilla

Vanilla flavour often puts people off, but that’s not the case at all with this whisky, almond, champagne and rosemary cocktail. A superb drink.

Olfactory pairing: Vanille Planifolia Extrait 21

Tonka

Even though it contains no tonka bean, this cocktail was my favourite of the evening. With its calvados base, strawberry, black tea and melilot, it will make you dream and end your evening on a perfect note.

Olfactory pairing : Tonka Sarrapia Extrait 75

A Great Night Out

Whether for a first (or second) date or to keep the flame of your love burning, the experience is incredible in its intimate setting. It also works with colleagues or friends, but the setting invites romance and seduction, so be warned. And the festive holiday setting will win you over even more, as it’s easy to imagine stepping into the Marcus to warm up after a walk in the snow. 

Extending the Experience

Want to take your sensory journey with Guerlain even further? Continue on to the Guerlain Spa , inside the Four Seasons. It is the only Forbes five-star spa in Quebec. It invites you to explore signature rituals, fragrances, the beauty collection and the Maison’s treatments, in a serene setting devoted to the art of well-being. If you’d like to take home a Guerlain fragrance, the products are available at Holt Renfrew Ogilvy, which has a door onto the Marcus lounge (the entrance to the Night Bar), or on the Guerlain website.

Until December 19, Thursday to Saturday from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Reservations required.