Similarities between Perfumes and Drinks
The Pyramid of Notes applied to cocktails
Perfume and Cocktails share more than people think. One of their main similarities lies in structure.
The Pyramid of Perfumes
To analyze a perfume, perfumers often use the pyramid of notes, an empirical method used to describe how a fragrance evolves over time. The pyramid is divided into three parts: top, heart, and base.
Perfumes are made up of individual notes belonging to different families (citrus, floral, woody, spicy, etc.). Each note falls into one of the above categories based on volatility (how quickly it evaporates)
Top notes are the most volatile. They are the first impression when a perfume is sprayed and usually last between 15 minutes and one hour. Citrus aromas and aromatic herbs like mint, thyme and basil, are examples of top notes.
Heart notes come next and have medium volatility. They can last for several hours (up to 8-10 hours). Floral, fruity, and spiced aromas are typically heart notes.
Base notes are the least volatile. They can linger for days, giving weight and depth to the fragrance. Woody, musky, resinous, and earthy notes are typical base elements. Even in small amounts, they add length and help anchor the lighter, more volatile notes.
However, this models has its flaws. Many aromas do not fit neatly into one layer. A scent can behave as both top and heart, or heart and base, depending on its strength and context. Notes also interact: base notes can help pull top notes down and extend their presence, or even make them reappear later; a classic example of this is the combination of bergamot and oakmoss, where bergamot can re-emerge hours after evaporation because of this interaction.
You could also argue it is not a pyramid, but a triangle. True.
Despite its flaws, the pyramid remains a useful tool. It helps visualize how a fragrance evolves and provides a practical framework when composing or describing a perfume.
Translating this to drinks
The same logic applied to aromatic compounds in drinks. When tasting or smelling a liquid (whether a whiskey, a martini, or a gin and tonic), the order in which aromas appears depends on their volatility and dominance (concentration) in the composition.
You never perceive all aromas at once. Instead, flavours unfolds in layers, just like perfume, only over seconds rather than hours.
Gin is a great example. It is a distilled composition of botanicals (citrus, spices, herbs, flowers, roots…), much like perfume ingredients. A well-balanced and crafted gin should take you through a sequence: bright and volatile citrus top notes, floral and spicy heart notes, and deeper woody or earthy base notes. Each sip becomes a miniature version of the perfume pyramid.
Cocktails behave in the same way. Their flavour evolves across a few seconds rather than hours, but the same principles apply. Every aromatic ingredient (spirits, liqueurs, syrups, tinctures, juices, bitters) contains compounds with different volatility and impact.
To create a balanced drink, you need both bright and heavy elements. A drink made only of highly volatile notes will open up well but fade quickly. Base-note ingredients provide length, depth and complexity, allowing lighter aromas to linger and evolve.
The citrus twist example
The citrus peel expressed over drinks like the Martini, Manhattan, or Negroni, is the clearest example of top notes in cocktails. It lasts only for the first few sips but makes a striking difference to the entire drink’s profile. The brief burst of fresh citrus brightens all other flavours and changes the final perception of the drink.
Try tasting two Manhattan side by side - one with and one without an expressed orange twist. The difference is immediate. The twist lifts the other notes, giving structure and life to what would be otherwise a flat composition.
Top, heart, and base notes in cocktails
Perfume evolve slowly, revealing different stages as volatile molecules evaporate. Drinks evolve more rapidly, but the same hierarchy applies. Each ingredient brings molecules with its own volatility, intensity and persistence.
Most spirits already contains a mix of top, heart and base notes. Gin, whiskey, rum, brandy - each hold a natural pyramid within them. The bartender’s task is to manipulate and balance those layers, sometimes reinforcing certain aspects with complementary ingredients, sometimes restraining others.
In perfumery, the focus in purely olfactory; in drinks, the experience involves both olfaction and taste, and both must work in harmony.
The takeaway is simple: a cocktail, like a perfume has a structure. Each sip is a condensed version of that pyramid, evolving briefly but distinctively, and understanding this helps design drinks with more balance, depth, and movement .
The Pyramid of Perfumes offers a clear way to visualize that roadmap of flavour and aroma. It helps analyze how ingredients interacts and how they can be arranged to create a drink that evolves on your palate.