Like catching a whiff of fabulous perfume as a woman passes you on the street, tastes are often fleeting, and we must rely on memory to remember them once they’ve gone. Yesterday evening in Takashimaya’s upstairs showroom on Fifth Avenue, Edith Piaf played in the background, a jungle of vibrant poppies, orchids, and calla lilies decorated the tables, and the perfumer Gerald Ghislain of Histoires de Parfums played mixologist for a night.

“I was a chef many years ago, and always when I am creating a scent I throw in, say, some pineapple at the end,” he told The Feed. As his signature line of scents is often inspired by memories related to food, a friend suggested he let the perfumes inspire some experimental edible fare. Care for a shot of geranium gazpacho? How about a hibiscus truffle? Both were so unusual we had to taste them twice just to register the flavors properly. The coral-colored soup was floral at the outset, then salty, spicy and velvetlike in texture. The truffle was pure pleasure—extravagantly rich and silky.

The same could be said to describe Ghislain’s Rose Epicée perfume. A violet-vodka martini looked as though it had been tinted with watercolors, and tasted like a concoction straight out of Willy Wonka’s factory (were he to cater to discerning drinkers rather than chocolate fiends). Ghislain, who has three bars in Paris in addition to his perfume line, dreamt up the flower-infused cocktails and a menu as a one-off.

“We cook, we do perfume, and we have fun,” he explained while a bartender fixed The Feed a white tea and orange blossom martini. The scent of the cocktail was dreamy, light and carefree. “With a party you create a mood in the room—with food, with music, the lighting. What I love about perfume is that you can create everything in bottle.” Like the scent that reminds you of another time and place—here for a moment, and then gone again—Ghislain will return to Paris. But if you’d like to make the memory last, you can buy a bottle of his perfume right here in New York.—Jeanne Hodesh