Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, out of North Hollywood (as witchy a place as there ever was), has released no fewer than three dozen specialty fragrances themed after Wonderland & Looking-Glass: Mad Tea Party: The Dodgson Collection. Scents inspired by the madness of Alice’s sojourns to Wonderland. They can each be ordered for $17.99 per 5ml bottle. The online catalog for the Mad Tea Party collection includes full quotes from Carroll’s books and poems, and even the ingredients used are carefully chosen to fit in with each scent’s motif. The seven sub-categorized in “The Garden of Live Flowers” naturally have floral ingredients to match the theme, but even the monsters and lobsters have perfectly fitting recipes. Here are a few for example:
FRUMIOUS BANDERSNATCH
“Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!”Bandersnatch musk, redolent of spicy carnations, wild plums and chrysanthemum.
THE POOL OF TEARS
‘I wish I hadn’t cried so much!’ said Alice, as she swam about, trying to find her way out. ‘I shall be punished for it now, I suppose, by being drowned in my own tears! That will be a queer thing, to be sure! However, everything is queer to-day.’A sea of salty tears drowning out Alice’s light floral perfume.
IMPERIOUS TIGER LILY
`O Tiger-lily,’ said Alice, addressing herself to one that was waving gracefully about in the wind, `I wish you could talk!’`We can talk,’ said the Tiger-lily: `when there’s anybody worth talking to.”
Alice was so astonished that she could not speak for a minute: it quite seemed to take her breath away. At length, as the Tiger-lily only went on waving about, she spoke again, in a timid voice — almost in a whisper. `And can all the flowers talk?’
`As well as you can,’ said the Tiger-lily. `And a great deal louder.’
(Tiger-lily, ginger root, neroli, purple fruits, and frankincense.)
BREAD-AND-BUTTER-FLY
`Crawling at your feet,’ said the Gnat (Alice drew her feet back in some alarm), `you may observe a Bread-and-Butterfly. Its wings are thin slices of Bread-and-butter, its body is a crust, and its head is a lump of sugar.’`And what does IT live on?’
`Weak tea with cream in it.’
Bread, lightly buttered, with weak tea, cream, and a lump of white sugar.
