Chinotto di Liguria Acqua di Parma 2018

For decades, a certain Vincenzo Andronaco has been supplying the Italian community here in Germany - as well as all other yearners - with a wide range of relevant culinary delights in various branches (or better, warehouses) between Cologne and Lübeck. The branch in Hamburg-Bahrenfeld is conveniently located near one of my evening routes home. So, it’s no problem to pop over and quickly grab a bottle of "Chinotto," a soda named after the eponymous orange variety.

However, it is something entirely different to sit together in a small local place after a family walk through Milan, guided by a dear fellow Parfumo, and drink a Chinotto soda THERE. An evening of "oh-the-kids-don't-need-to-go-to-bed-yet" in southern regions is one of the more uplifting parental experiences.

Accordingly, I followed the release of the new representative from the Blu-Mediterraneo line with great emotion, and only scheduling issues delayed obtaining a sample.

The opening fulfills all hopes splendidly. Although I only know the aforementioned bitter orange from the drink, I immediately and willingly believe in its namesake: deliciously bitter orange with dark fruity opulence, supported by a jasmine that, despite being noticeable in both its austere and sensual aspects, serves as the stirrup holder today.

Unfortunately, the voluminous orange diminishes to a little candy within a quarter of an hour. Its helper looks around in surprise at first before soon slipping into the background as well. An astonishingly spicy, bitter, almost serious layer takes over: pea-green, metallic (rosemary!). A hint of grass or hedge clippings comes to mind, herb-creamy green at the threshold of a hair salon later in the morning. The latter becomes a surprisingly long-lasting secret guideline, as a suggestion of citrus-touched soapiness accompanies me well into the afternoon, reminiscent of what can sometimes be associated with neroli and is also not entirely foreign to Ms. Jasmine.

This is quite respectable and an elegant scent, particularly well-suited for the gentleman in a casual summer suit during this impressively long, stable phase. However, I do not expect such from a fragrance titled ‘Chinotto di Liguria.’ In terms of fulfilling that promise, the scent offers a bit too little. As is often the case with AdP, the first quarter of an hour is breathtaking, before the magic fades all too quickly. What a pity. I can rule out a poorly aged sample. After all, the creation is still quite new, and my tester came directly from the AdP stand in Alsterhaus.

Would the scent also be able to be enhanced by a walk through Milan?