10 Refreshing Colognes That’ll Make You Smell Like a Gin and Tonic—in a Good Way

While the gin and tonic didn’t directly inspire this newest launch by Ormonde Jayne, it’s hard to overlook the similarities. Vetiveria opens with a healthy kick of zesty lime, quite literally an eye opener, and a very true-to-life note. “It’s kind of got this big burst of energy when you first spray it. When it starts to calm down a bit is when you get the vetiver and this dryness,” says Pilkington. “It’s one of those perfumes that is very long-lasting. You know, you can smell it the next day.”

Pilkington says she was deeply inspired by one of the fragrance’s other notes, Timur pepper, a “zingy,” citrusy cousin of the Sichuan peppercorn, bringing it to the fore with the aid of juniper and sage. The real star of Vetiveria is in the name, though. While vetiver is a note that tends to be relegated to smoky profiles, it’s surprisingly dynamic. Within Vetiveria, it plays off moss and rockrose to anchor an earthy drydown that takes this fragrance from happy hour into the evening.

Lest we forget that juniper berries have a hint of spice underneath all that verdant freshness, this new fragrance is here to serve as a reminder. Rite of Way blends citrus and juniper in Outer Realm, as many of the other fragrances on this list do, but it accents that classic combination with saffron, pepper, and burnt cedar. After all, you can order a gin and tonic anytime of year.

MFK’s Gentle Fluidity Silver Edition (the brand also has Gold and Purple Editions), distills the spirit of a gin and tonic into something quietly luxurious. Brisk juniper leads the way, echoing the cocktail’s signature botanical snap, while coriander and nutmeg lend a cool, understated spice. The result is polished and clean, like fresh linen with a soft aromatic depth, rather than laundry detergent. With its airy woods and subtle musk, the scent captures the crisp essence of gin resting on ice.

Seaside freshness in a bottle, Claus Porto’s Classico 22 captures the essence of the Portuguese coastline. Its unsurprising inspiration for a heritage Portuguese brand, which made its debut well over a century ago in 1887, and has long been beloved for their artisanal soaps. Their foray into fine fragrance is more recent, but the brand’s keen understanding of scent has made for what seems like an easeful expansion.

In Classico 22, a sunlit accord of bergamot, lemon and ozone first opens for the nose, but it’s the aromatic mid-notes—juniper berry, basil, and mint—that give it a bracing, mentholated clarity that is reminiscent of a freshly poured gin and tonic. The base of cedarwood, vetiver, and soft musk dries down to leave behind the scent of crisp linen and cool mineral air.

Crisp, herbaceous, and invigorating—Coriander by New York-based brand D.S. & Durga opens with fresh and fizzy lime, followed by a burst of cracked coriander seed, pepper, and juniper needle, evoking the aromatic botanicals found in your favorite cocktail. Then comes the heart with clary sage, geranium, and clove stem, adding a verdant complexity. Anchored by a base of musk, magnolia, and mace, the fragrance mirrors the cool, refreshing sensation of sipping a G&T on a breezy terrace.

“At the edge of the night, surrounded by bodies electrified with music, delicately devouring a glass of gin on the rocks,” is how Headspace, a French perfume house that reconstructs scents found in nature, describes their fragrance, Genievre. Juniper and pink pepper are what present that spicy, heady, gin-like effect—but its notes of mandarin that give it a distinct fizz, like tonic water in a glass. A woody, resinous drydown from cedar and olibanum gives it a lasting warmth, perhaps just like that of dancing closely with friends and strangers, gin and tonic in hand.

Much like crafting a cocktail, try layering these two fragrances by Geneva-based Mizensir. The niche fragrance house is the brainchild of master perfumer Alberto Morillas, and actually began as a candle line. First, paying homage to London dry gin, Blue Gin nods toward the spirit with its juniperus core and a touch of Calone to mimic that “frozen metal” effect of a cocktail glass pulled from ice. When layered with Tonic Water, a minimalist scent filled with aldehydes, lime peel, and transparent white musk, the combination feels like a cocktail for the skin.

Founded in Grasse in 1996, Parfums M. Micallef is a family-run house known for fusing French perfumery traditions with decorative art. Their flacons are often hand-painted or jeweled, but don’t be fooled, for the juice inside is never overshadowed. GNTonic is a perfect example, housed in a bottle reminiscent of an icy glacier. Inside, find an effervescent tribute to the iconic cocktail, which opens with a splash of bitter orange, lime, ginger, peppermint, and pink pepper. Cedar, nutmeg, lily of the valley, and orange blossom lend a crisp, botanical bite, while a clean base of white musk and amber allows it to linger more softly.

Designed to evoke the sensorial feeling of saltwater on the skin, Bottega Veneta’s Acqua Sale is like sipping a gin and tonic by the sea, still wet from a dip into the waves. Top notes of juniper, black pepper, and mandarin oils make for a heady initial spritz, like that first biting sip of a strong gin, but a heart of sea salt accord and powdery florals bring this scent closer to the skin, like the froth of the sea. As Acqua Sale dries down further, it settles as both fresh and herbaceous, thanks to a resinous base that also incorporates woody vetiver.

“A crisp cocktail shot of gin,” Juniper Sling by storied British perfumery, Penhaligon’s, opens with a burst of juniper berry. The scent evokes the bracing clarity of London dry gin, before unfurling into a spicy heart of cardamom, angelica, orris, and soft leather. Hints of black cherry, brown sugar, and vetiver add a subtle warmth and fizz, like the gentle bubbles of tonic, mingling with botanical sharpness. The fragrance is not one that shouts. It’s subtle yet long-wearing, and perfect for a summer nightcap in a smoky Soho bar.