Bottles Up: Fragrances Bar at Berlin’s Ritz-Carlton

Would you like Guerlain by the glass? Or perhaps a pour of Penhaligon’s? The newly opened Fragrances bar at Berlin’s Ritz-Carlton has a menu full of perfumed libations with theatrical presentations. Ritz bar manager Arnd Henning Heissen spent two months smelling fragrances at stores throughout the city. The resulting 15 cocktails and five nonalcoholic drinks he developed pull inspiration from diverse brands—Amouage to Armani, Lalique to L’Artisan Parfumeur. Visitors to Fragrances start in the dimly lit bar’s entry exhibit, dubbed the “Hall of Fame,” where they can sniff scents, peruse ingredients and view images of Heissen’s own blends, served up with a dash of whimsy. For example, Nuit Étoileé, based on the Annick Goutal scent, features Grand Marnier Cuvée Du Centenaire and pine-spearmint syrup, as well as celestial sugar shapes to deliver the sensation of swallowing a falling star. Cocktails are mostly priced at 14 euros, or $19; nonalcoholic blends are $15.