An edible perfume masterclass with Silent Pool: Scent with intent
What if you could spray your Martini with a memory?
At Silent Pool’s edible perfume masterclass, cocktails are mixed, then misted. Held at Nobu Bar and led by Marion Zoelle, global brand ambassador at Silent Pool Distillers, her aim is to demonstrate the complexity and beauty of where fragrance meets flavour.
Guests, including me, recently gathered for drinks and canapes in Nobu Hotel Portman Square, where Zoelle helped us create our own personalised and edible cocktail spray. A presentation, flavour charts, beakers, and vials full of perfumes distilled from botanicals were at our disposal as we discovered what the nose really does know.
Curious? You should be. This is drinks geekery with a glamorous twist. Zoelle joins us to explain all.
Interview with Marion Zoelle – Exploring Scent & Spirits at Silent Pool:
Question: What’s your background in scent and spirits, and how did they come together at Silent Pool?
Answer: My background is in the world of spirits, and over time, I became increasingly fascinated by scent as a sensory language. At Silent Pool, I found a natural bridge between the two. Our gin already incorporates 24 botanicals, many of them chosen for their aromatic complexity, so scent has always been a big part of our DNA. Over the years, I developed a more structured approach to scent, studying the how and why of human olfaction, techniques, history and exploring how this sense can inform and elevate the drinking experience.
Q: What draws you personally to the intersection of fragrance and flavour? It’s
A: The way they unlock memory, emotion, and storytelling. Both fragrance and flavour are deeply personal and evocative. You smell something, and it instantly takes you somewhere. I love that overlap. As a brand ambassador, my job is to help people connect emotionally with what they’re drinking. Scent adds a whole new layer to that journey.
Q: What’s the inspiration behind the edible cocktail spray?
A: The edible spray came from wanting to bring perfumery into the glass, literally. We wanted a way for guests to personalise their drink in a way that goes beyond garnish or presentation. By misting their cocktail with a bespoke scent, they actively shape the first impression of that drink. It turns a classic cocktail into something deeply personal.
Silent Pool Gin is one of the pioneers of the craft gin movement
Don’t just drink a cocktail. Experience it.
Q: What can guests expect to take away, not just physically, but sensorially, from this masterclass?
A: They walk away with their own edible fragrance, yes, but more than that, they leave with a new vocabulary. We teach them how to break down a scent, understand its layers, and recognise its emotional resonance. It’s like learning a new language. After this, they don’t just drink a cocktail, they experience it.
Q: How do you guide someone in building their own unique aroma profile?
A: We start with scent memory, asking guests to recall specific smells from childhood, travel, or different seasons. This helps them understand how they naturally map scents in their mind and shift their focus toward the aromas that spark positive memories and emotions. From there, we introduce the four aroma layers found in Silent Pool Gin: Float, Citrus, Herbal, and Spice. Within each family, they choose one botanical from a set of three essential oils, creating their own unique blend of four (one for each aroma layer). Once people understand the basics, it becomes a very intuitive and personal process.
Q: How do you translate perfume-making techniques into something edible?
A: It’s all about distillation and balance. In perfumery, you work with top, heart, and base notes, and we follow a similar layering approach, just using food-grade essential oils and botanical extracts instead. The challenge is making sure it stays relatable, subtle, and enhances the drink without overpowering it. At the end of the day, perfumery and distilling share a common history; they’re both rooted in the art of extracting and blending aromas.
Have you ever spritzed your cocktail?
A more emotional and personal dimension to drinking.
Q: Are there certain botanicals or scents that consistently surprise people when they taste them?
A: Yes, vetiver is a great example. It’s commonly used in cosmetics, especially in men’s fragrances, so most people know the smell without realising it. When they first encounter it on its own, there’s this moment of recognition, they’re sure they’ve smelled it before, but they can’t quite place it. That disconnection between familiarity and identification is interesting, and it shows how we learn to recognise scents on the daily, especially in early life.
Q: How do you see this layering of scent and spirit changing the way we experience cocktails?
A: It’s opening a more emotional and personal dimension to drinking. We’ve moved beyond big garnishes as visuals, now it’s about storytelling, balance and more and more scent. I think we’ll see more people approaching cocktails like perfumers: considering mood, memory, and personalisation in every creation.
Q: How does this experience reflect Silent Pool’s wider ethos and approach to gin?
A: Silent Pool is built around the idea of complexity, craftsmanship, and beauty. We don’t take shortcuts, and scent has always been a key part of our identity. This experience takes that commitment to a deeper, more immersive level; it invites people inside the world of our botanicals, quite literally.
The experience was held at Nobu Hotel in Portman Square, London
Personalisation, sensory experiments, and memory
Q: What role do you think personalisation plays in the future of spirits?
A: It’s huge. As drinkers become more educated and confident, they want experiences that reflect their identity. A personalised aroma profile, a bespoke Martini, these are more than trends; they’re signs of a shift toward self-expression through drinks. Spirits and cocktails are becoming more like fashion or music, a tool for storytelling.
Q: Are there other sensory experiments or experiences in the works for Silent Pool?
A: Yes, we’re constantly exploring new ways to create immersive, multisensory experiences. One recent example is a collaboration we did with KEF in London, where we paired a Silent Pool Gin Martini with curated sound, flavour bites, and a scent diffuser to modulate perception throughout the drink. It was fascinating to see how different sounds and aromas could influence the way people experienced the same cocktail. We’re also working on scent-based guided tastings and looking at further collaborations with perfumers and sensory brands. The goal is always to push the boundaries of how people engage with spirits and to create moments that feel like memories in the making.
Q: If you could bottle one memory as a scent to spray over a cocktail, what would it be?
A: Late summer at the distillery. The air smells like dry grass, fresh herbs, the slightly moist air from the forest nearby, and the faint sweetness of the flowers growing in front of the distiller’s office. There’s also a certain warmth in the air from the sun starting to fade. It’s nostalgic, grounding, and full of possibility. I’d bottle that.
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