<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://www.remain-silent.com/cm/GoodenoughtoEat/F2F/F2F_LeLaborose.jpg" alt="le labo rose 31 meets a giggly rose cocktail" width="449" height="630" /></p>

<font size=1><em>image credit: giggly rose by <a href="http://www.polkadotbride.com/2011/02/manly-wine-and-the-wine-suites-wedding-evening/">polka dot bride</a>, rose 31 by <a href="http://store.lelabofragrances.com/en/C56/rose_31.html">le labo</a></em></font>

Let me start by saying, I am a big fan of the lads at Le Labo and especially a fan of their fragrance Rose 31.

Part of Le Labo's mission is to educate consumers about perfumery by aiding them to develop an educated olfactive palette. The name, Le Labo itself means 'The Laboratory' and their New York space looks more like a well styled old fashioned lab that a retail outlet. Their fragrances are usually singular in name, yet complex in content. Speaking of, the exact number of ingredients in their fragrances follow the fragrance name - therefore Rose 31 contains 31 ingredients.

The Le Labo brand has is a very specific and strong aesthetic that doesn't deviate from it's theme of creation and experimentation. The bottles look like simply labelled samples from a science lab and the contents themselves are somewhat experimental. All Le Labo fragrances are genderless - how does one surmise a scent by the parameters of masculine and feminine anyway? What attracts and repels us olfactively varies greatly by culture, personality, environment and even mood.  This truth results in a line of products that contain woods, florals and grasses that can be worn by anyone and everyone. It's compelling and an experiment, that so far has been quite successful.

<strong>The Fragrance:</strong> <a href="http://store.lelabofragrances.com/en/C56/rose_31.html">Rose 31</a> by Le Labo. with notes of Centifolia rose { sometimes known as 'Cabbage Rose'}, cumin, olbanum, cedar, a touch of amber, Gaïac wood all highlighted by a <em>distinctly physical animal note. The rose note is ever so slightly petally without being overly floral. You could argue that the floralcy is xx by the cedar and Gaïac wood with unique character provided by the animalic note. However the result is not overly masculine, nor definitively feminine - allowing both genders to wear the fragrance with an air of ambiguity. 

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<strong>The Food:</strong> <a href="http://www.parchedmarch.com/home/barsdrinks/gazebo">Giggle Rose Cocktail</a>. I first learned of a Giggly Rose via <a href="http://www.mrjasongrant.com/blog/archives/6">Mr. Jason Grant</a> and have never forgotten about it. Containing garden mint leaves, rose syrup, rose petals, Gordon’s gin, lemon juice, Yarra Valley sparkling and garnished with a rose - it's pretty yet masculine, feminine and strong - a truly unique unisex beverage.

<strong>Why it works:</strong> There are shared elements in Rose 31 and the Giggly Rose: feminine rosy ingredients, masculine facets of woods and gin, alcohol content...the way they are both a little different from the norm in each of their categories. Giving the consumer a new way to digest something that is an every day item. 

<strong>Beverage tip:</strong> There are some great vintage and hard to find beverages out there, instead of trying to track them down at your local watering hole, why not buy the ingredients yourself and make them at home..2011 is going to be my summer of mixology thats for certain. 