Eau de Cologne
Preserved but no longer current.
A perfumed spirit, originally prepared at Cologne. It was invented by an Italian chemist, Johann Maria Farina, who settled in Cologne in 1709. The usual recipe prescribes twelve drops of each of the essential oils, Bergamot, citron, neroli, orange, and rosemary, with one dram of Malabar cardo- moms and a gallon of rectified spirits, which are distilled together.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Eau de Cologne” mean?
A perfumed spirit, originally prepared at Cologne. It was invented by an Italian chemist, Johann Maria Farina, who settled in Cologne in 1709. The usual recipe prescribes twelve drops of each of the essential oils, Bergamot, citron, neroli, orange, and rosemary, with one dram of Malabar cardo- moms and a gallon of rectified spirits, which are distilled together.
Is “Eau de Cologne” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.