Apero No 8

Apero No 8 is Lengling's aperitif hour, and the structure follows the metaphor closely. The LENG half is the drink: chardonnay grapes give a dry, faintly yeasty sparkle, lime and petitgrain cut it with bitter citrus peel, and ginger adds a genuine prickle on the skin in the first ten minutes. It reads as a glass of something cold and effervescent rather than as fruit. The LING half is the evening the drink belongs to. Mimosa absolute is the hinge, powdery and honeyed, and jasmine absolute opens the floral heart out into something indolic and warm. Heliotrope brings an almond-vanilla softness underneath, and the base is a plush, slightly abstract blend of tonka, cashmeran and musk with naturally cultivated Thai oud lending a quiet resinous shadow rather than any barnyard funk. It is the highest-rated perfume in the range and it earns that: the transition from sparkling to sensual is smooth, and the oud stops the sweetness collapsing. Expect seven to eight hours at extrait strength, projecting moderately for the first two. Spring and summer are the natural home, particularly warm evenings. It is a date perfume and a dinner perfume above all, pleasant enough for a relaxed office, and comfortable at a formal event without shouting.