Elixir 1870

Elixir 1870 takes its name from the year Granado opened its first pharmacy in Rio de Janeiro, and it is the most traditional-smelling fragrance in the house's Vintage line. Where Apotecário goes dark and leathery and Époque Tropical goes soft and floral, this one is bracing, herbal and green - closer to a classic European eau than anything obviously Brazilian. It opens sharp and clean. Basil leads, which is unusual for a citrus opening and gives it an immediate savoury, slightly aniseed edge, while Sicilian lemon and orange supply the brightness. The heart keeps the aromatic thread going rather than softening it: myrtle is fresh and faintly camphorous, rosemary adds a woody herbal bite, and cardamom warms the middle just enough to stop it turning astringent. Then the base does something genuinely distinctive. Pine is the lead, resinous and forest-like, backed by lavandin and cedar - a combination that lands somewhere between an old-fashioned barbershop fougère and a walk through cold conifer. The green foil-stamped art nouveau carton marks it out as the one Granado deliberately dressed differently from its siblings. Like the rest of the range it is vegan, paraben-free and macerated before bottling, and the blending is smooth rather than sharp-edged. Expect moderate longevity and a modest, tidy trail. This is a daytime fragrance - fresh enough for warm weather, herbal enough to feel grown-up, and a sensible pick for anyone who finds most modern citrus scents too sweet.