Fruit cocktail

Six summer "juices" for the latest heat wave

Del Monte Fruit Cocktail advertisement, November 1935

Nearly a century ago, in the middle of the Great Depression, a canned mixed-fruit dessert in a “beguiling syrup” just might have felt like an affordable luxury. So “inviting” and “festive”! (I do like those Art Deco coupe glasses, which really put the “cocktail” into “fruit cocktail”…)

Today, in the sweaty, stressed-out heart of summer 2026, with its recurring heat waves and Legionnaires’ Disease outbreak and ongoing economic collapse, I’m in the mood for fragrances with fruit notes. Not just fruit, that is, but unexpected fruit notes that accent or complement a fragrance’s central floral, woody, or spicy themes.

Here are a few I’ve been wearing lately.

ERIS Parfums Delta of Venus: guava

Once again, I’ve rotated my summer-staple bottle of Delta of Venus to the front of my fragrance shelf. ERIS describes Delta of Venus (named after one of Anaïs Nin’s publications of erotica) as “a guava-centric floral that reimagines the Garden of Eden’s Forbidden Fruit. . . complete with a hissing serpent in the form of a gorgeously bitter green galbanum note and the fallen, decadent sensuality of the indolic white flower Jasmine Sambac.” More info here, on the ERIS site!

eDIT(H) Rose Mojito: lime

Last summer, I had the pleasure of meeting eDIT(H)’s creative director, Kentaro Kuzuwa, and smelling my way through this Japan-based fragrance collection with him. One of my favorite was Rose Mojito, so I later ordered a sample of it. Rose Mojito starts off with mint and cedarwood, then gradually shifts to reveal a cooling duo of tart lime and fresh, subtle rose. This is truly an all-gender scent, and an easy blend for even a non-floral-lover to enjoy. Now I want to drink an actual mojito…

LAFCO Midnight Aura: raspberry

I’ve been acquainted with the LAFCO New York brand since they launched their original candle collection in their Lafayette Street boutique back in 2008, and I was happy to learn that they just launched a fragrance line (inspired by some of their favorite candle scents) this month.

Midnight Aura (developed by perfumer Arnaud Winter) features fruity notes of wild raspberry (not too sweet!) and prickly pear (which has a smell somewhere between “regular” pear and cantaloupe, with an intriguingly watery effect). A soft heartnote of night-blooming cactus blossom gives a nod to Midnight Aura’s desert theme, and a light cedar note in the base grounds all the buoyant pulp and juice of the scent’s fruity elements.

(This was a press sample, but I only accept gifts from brands I’ve already known and enjoyed for a long time, so I tend to like the very occasional freebies I receive!)

Ormonde Jayne Bijou Zafran: pear

I’ll confess I’m not normally a big fan of pear notes in perfumery; they occasionally remind me of the kinds of juice drinks made especially for very small children. But: Ormonde Jayne has never released a juvenile-smelling fragrance in its history, and Bijou Zafran (created by perfumer Élodie Bernard with creative direction by Ormonde Jayne founder Linda Pilkington) is a sophisticated spicy amber with fruity highlights. Apparently I can love a pear note after all, when it’s woven into a warm, quietly opulent composition of saffron, benzoin resin, earthy iris root, and leather.

(I received a press sample to try; see note above!)

Odette Parfum Co. Amants Maudits: blood orange

The classical ballet based on Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet inspired Odette to create Amants Maudits (“star-crossed lovers”). I recently wrote a product description of this fragrance for Bloom Parfums, and here’s an excerpt: “Blood orange radiates musky sweetness while lush, thorny roses bloom in the background. Wild blackberry adds a tart edge to this tale of doomed romance and the flame of attraction flickers in a heart of sandalwood and incense. Souls reunite in a dreamy drydown of creamy vanilla that lingers on skin.” This is one of my favorites from Odette; I think the sweet-tart citrus note really pulls it all together and adds dimension.

Have you encountered any interesting fruit notes in fragrances you’ve been wearing lately? Let us know!