The Last Call

The Last Call starts with cherries and muddled red fruit, then takes a drier route through the rest of its composition. Rum supplies the boozy centre, with black tea and spice keeping the fruit from setting the whole mood. The opening can suggest a cocktail, but the middle gives the drink a sharper, more bitter character as the darker materials come forward. Tobacco and vetiver form the closing pair. Tobacco brings a smoky impression that connects naturally to the rum, while vetiver adds a more grounded, dry finish. Pepper is another part of the declared tea-and-spice idea. The transition from fruit to bitter tea and tobacco is the point to judge carefully on skin: it gives the composition more tension than its cherry opening might imply. The result can feel forceful in character even when the scent stays relatively close. Autumn and winter evenings are useful starting points for a structure this dark and boozy. A bar, dinner or an unhurried night out fits the theme, particularly for someone who enjoys the interplay of fruit with smoke and dry spice. Begin with a small application and let it develop before adding more. The Last Call is worth trying through its whole sequence, because liking cherry on its own says little about whether its more bitter tea, tobacco and vetiver combination will appeal to you.