Kilian Paris is taking its love of spirits one step further with its newest launch, The Cocktails Collection.

I stopped by the brand’s launch pop-up in New York City’s Meatpacking District to experience the collection for myself. The pop-up brought the world of The Cocktails to life with themed mocktails, fragrance sampling, and an immersive introduction to each of the three new scents: Sparkling Royal, Piña Paraíso, and Midnight Espresso.

As someone who already has a few Kilian fragrances on my favorites list, I was curious to see how the new collection would compare. And after smelling all three, my favorite wasn’t the one I expected.

Sparkling Royal

Sparkling Royal is inspired by the Kir Royal cocktail and is the fresher, fruitier fragrance of the three. It opens with mint and lemon before moving into rose and blackcurrant, with tonka bean and musk rounding out the scent.

I typically gravitate toward warmer gourmands, so Sparkling Royal was a departure from the types of fragrances I naturally reach for.

Piña Paraíso

Piña Paraíso takes the collection in a much more tropical direction. Inspired by a piña colada, it opens with pineapple and rum before moving into coconut and frangipani, with bourbon vanilla and tonka bean giving it a warm finish.

Rum and vanilla are two notes I already tend to gravitate toward in fragrance, but surprisingly, this ended up being my favorite of the three. I didn’t get much of the coconut on my skin, which I expected to be more prominent given the piña colada inspiration.

As it dried down, the bourbon vanilla and tonka bean came through more, giving it that warm, slightly sweet finish I tend to love.

Then came Midnight Espresso.

Inspired by the espresso martini, Midnight Espresso opens with coffee and rum before moving into dark chocolate and toasted hazelnut, with Madagascar bourbon vanilla and Siam benzoin lingering on the skin.

Coffee, chocolate, toasted hazelnut, rum, and vanilla? You already have my attention.

On paper, Midnight Espresso was supposed to be my favorite. I tend to gravitate toward fragrances with hazelnut and vanilla, and some of my favorite Kilian fragrances already fall within that warm, gourmand territory.

Love, Don’t Be Shy satisfies my sweeter gourmand side with rose, neroli, and that marshmallow accord. Smoking Hot gives me bourbon vanilla paired with hookah and patchouli. Straight to Heaven combines rum, nutmeg, patchouli, vanilla, and cedarwood. And then there’s Intoxicated, with its mocha coffee and vanilla notes.

Apparently, give me coffee, vanilla, rum, warm spices, or something slightly smoky, and you have my attention.

Midnight Espresso also reminded me of the richer, boozier profile I love in Angels’ Share. Instead of rum, Angels’ Share centers cognac oil alongside oak absolute, cinnamon essence, and tonka bean absolute before drying down into sandalwood, praline, and vanilla. It’s intoxicating—I’m still smelling my wrist as I type this.

There was also a noticeable difference in performance. About three hours into wearing both fragrances, Midnight Espresso was sitting much closer to my skin and I could only faintly smell it, while Angels’ Share was still projecting enough that I could catch it wafting up from my wrist without bringing my nose to my skin. Based on this first wear, The Cocktails Collection seems to have a softer presence than Angels’ Share.

Midnight Espresso also smelled a little different than I expected once it hit my skin. The chocolate was one of the first things I noticed, and it actually overpowered the coffee for me. Given the espresso martini inspiration, I expected the coffee to be more prominent, but the chocolate took center stage.

As it settled, it dried down to mostly bourbon vanilla with a faint hint of toasted hazelnut. I’m not quite sure what hazelnut smells like as a standalone fragrance note, so I can’t say I could distinctly pick it out.

And surprisingly, even with a note profile that seemed practically made for me, Piña Paraíso was still my favorite.

Even the Bottles Take Inspiration From the Bar

The cocktail concept continues with the packaging. The Cocktails are presented in tall bottles with faceted, crystal-cut-inspired bases, gold-toned details, and jewel-like caps—details meant to evoke the experience of a cocktail glass.

The 10 ml size is $37, while the 50 ml bottle is $150. Kilian also offers an exclusive 75 ml format through its in-store Kilian Bar experience.

For someone who has wanted to explore Kilian fragrances but hasn’t been ready to commit to one of the brand’s higher-priced bottles, the smaller sizes and lower starting price make The Cocktails an interesting way to enter the brand.

Which Cocktail Am I Ordering?

After smelling all three at the Meatpacking District pop-up, my answer surprised me: Piña Paraíso.

I went in expecting Midnight Espresso to be my favorite based on the notes alone. But Piña Paraíso gave me something I wasn’t expecting: a fruity opening followed by the warm bourbon vanilla and tonka bean dry-down I already know I love.

My order? Piña Paraíso. Which cocktail are you choosing?