This year's Cologne Experiments are filtered, bottled, labeled, photographed and posted. It was a long process but I'm happy to have all of the bottles I collected this summer (and scrubbed and sterilized) filled with my fragrant elixirs.

This year I made two new colognes, Eau Who and Noir, as well as tweaked the recipes on Florida Water, Violet Water and Bay Rum. Eau Who is actually a re-creation that I worked on last summer in an attempt to replicate the classic cologne 4711. This year it came out better than ever, I'm very pleased with it, so designed a whole new label for it. It is no longer an "experiment" but a formula I'll be repeating.

I also finished Noir which has been coming along for a few years. Every year I strain it and add more to it so it is a triple strength formula. It's dark, rich and full bodied.

Bay Rum and Florida Water also got a bit of a makeover. The Bay Rum is made with bayberry leaves and berries from the beaches of Brooklyn, as well as hand-dried orange peels and fresh herbs and spices. Florida Water is composed of my own grown sweet woodruff and lavender as well as freshly ground spices. Bay Rum is bottled in vintage amber apothecary bottles and Florida Water in green medicine bottles.

I love this process of making botanical colognes, I hope you enjoy the results of my experiments!