Cologne

Cologne (pronounced kuh-lohn)

(1) A Rhine River port and the largest city in the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), commercially significant since ancient times.  The German name is Köln (formerly Cöln).

(2) A mildly perfumed toilet water originally the short form of eau de Cologne (Cologne water), made in Cologne since 1709.

(3) A general term for a perfumed liquid or solid made typically with 2-5% fragrant essential oils and 70-95% water & alcohol.

1709 (for the scent).  A short form of eau de Cologne (Cologne water), the name given to the original product in 1709 and such was the success of the original that imitators were soon legion and the product name (usually as bottled liquids) was by the mid-century generic.  The concoction was first brewed by Italian-born perfumier Giovanni Maria Farina (1685-1766) whose contribution to civility was by in 1844 noted in a dictionary as “a distilled spirit blended with certain essential oils so as to give off a fragrant scent”.  Founded in 38 BC as Oppidum Ubiorum, the city was renamed and made a colony in 50 AD at the request of the Emperor Claudius's (10 BC–54 AD; Roman emperor 41-54 AD) wife Agrippina the Younger (15-59 AD), becoming Colōnia Agrippīna (Agrippine Colony) in honor of his mother-in-law.  Colōnia (colony) was from colōnus (farmer; colonist), from colō (till, cultivate, worship), from quelō, from the primitive Indo-European kel (to move; to turn (around)).  From this came the French word for the city (Cologne) which seems to have been in general use in English by the early-mid eighteenth century.  Some historians Agrippina the Younger poisoned Claudius and if so, that suggests, at least, ingratitude.  By 450 AD, the name had been shortened to Colonia before eventually being Germanized, first as Cöln and later Köln.  Cologne & Cologner are proper nouns & nouns and cologned is an adjective; the noun plural is colognes.

The distinction between cologne and perfume is probably well-understood although there is some imprecision in use, the main differences being the in the concentration of fragrant oils and the intended use.  Cologne, typically contains a lower concentration of oils (usually 2-5%) which results in something lighter and less intense than other scents (most of which are now called perfume (also as Parfum or Extrait de Parfum) in which the concentration ranges most often between 15-40%.  Cologne can thus be fashioned as something subtle and refreshing and ideal for everyday wear although it’s generally not as long-lasting as perfume.  Perfumes are more intense (especially as concentrates) and can be long-lasting, their effect lingering even for hours.  As a general principle, cologne is used in greater volume although a number of perfumes are available as sprays and applied about as liberally whereas the classic concentrates should be daubed onto pulse points such as the wrists, neck and behind the ears.  Historically, cologne was thought of as something worn by men (often as a form of deodorant) rather than women but the products are now less gender-specific.

CColognes have long been marketed to women: Max Factor’s Primitif (1957 left) was explicitly labeled as cologne.  In the twenty-first century, fcuk’s friction (for him) and her (for her) were colognes but described in the marketing material as Eau De Toilette.  The fcuk advertising copy which accompanied the Lindsay Lohan campaign read: "an ultra feminine mix of hypnotic fruity florals and tantalizingly seductive vanilla that penetrate the senses.  its velvety coconut and sensual warmth will keep him coming back for more." (Original syntax in the fcuk style as printed)

Perhaps surprisingly, the European Union (EU) seems never to have sought to impose restrictions on the use of the term “cologne” in the same way they’ve successfully protected geographical indications (GI) like Cognac, Champagne, Parma Ham et al.  Geographical indications (GIs) are protected under EU law to prevent misuse and imitation of traditional products with a specific geographical origin (especially if traditional methods of production are involved).  The rationale is that protection helps maintain the quality and reputation of these products and supports the local communities involved in their production and the EU does not seek to prevent winemakers anywhere making champagne (anyone free to adopt méthode champenoise); they insist only it can’t be marketed as “Champagne”.  Cologne has never been afforded this protection because of the long history of use, both in Europe and around the world.  It long ago became generic.

Cologne Capris leading and following a BMW CSL “Batmobile”, European Touring Car Championship, Salzburgring, 1974.

The Ford “Cologne Capris” used to contest European touring car racing in the 1970s were so named because while Ford of England focused on the international rally championships, the Cologne-based arm of Ford Europe prepared the cars for use on the circuits.  The first version was a fairly modest (by later standards) modification of the RS 2600 which used a 2.6 litre (158 cubic inch) version of the German built V6 which over time was gradually increased in capacity to take advantage of the three litre (183 cubic inch) class limit.  With exotic cylinder heads and a rear suspension which somehow complied with the letter of the law while obviously being a clause passing through a loophole, it was at once successful but Ford’s spies were aware BMW was preparing one of the era’s great homologation specials, the be-winged 3.0 CSL which, powerful and significantly lightened, so gained the nickname “Batmobile”.

Cologne Capris and BMW CSL “Batmobiles”, European Touring Car Championship, Nürburgring, 1974.

The lawyers at in Munich proved as adept as those in Cologne at reading the rulebook and increased the production CSL’s engine displacement to just over three litres, permitting a larger capacity version to be used in competition and the factory produced a 3.5 litre version of the straight-six for the track.  Ford’s answer was a run of 3.1 litre (189 cubic inch) V6 Capris as road cars which meant a 3.4 litre (207 cubic inch) version could be built for competition.  Based this time on the English “Essex” V6, to meet the BMW threat it was fitted with double overhead camshaft (DOHC) heads with four valves per cylinder, a configuration BMW would soon match.  The competition between the Cologne Capris and the Batmobiles was much anticipated as all the ingredients for a stellar season were in place but unfortunately the contests were rare because the Oil Crisis of 1973-1974 meant both Ford and BMW scaled down their competition departments and Ford in late 1974 cancelled the entire programme, the Batmobiles, now with less opposition, continuing to enjoy success on both sides of the Atlantic for several more seasons.