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A candle that turns into a cocktail moment - twice.
Sipping Scents is a line of cocktail-inspired candles poured into authentic, professional-quality cocktail glassware. Each one is crafted to echo the personality of a real drink through scent, color, and atmosphere - with a softly crackling wooden wick and premium coconut–apricot wax.
But the story doesn’t end at the last burn. Once your cocktail candle is finished, you’re left with something meant to be used, not stored away: a real cocktail glass you can keep, collect, and serve with.
Think of it as a small ritual with a second life.
Light first. Sip later.
Why Coconut–Apricot Wax? (No chemistry degree needed)
We use a premium coconut-apricot wax because it’s one of the most elegant and enjoyable waxes for container candles.
In simple terms, it gives you:
A creamy, luxurious look
A smooth, even burn
Excellent fragrance performance
A beautifully refined vibe that fits premium glassware
It’s designed for a clean, stable experience - the kind that complements the sophistication of cocktail culture rather than fighting it.
A Note on Wooden Wicks
Wooden wicks are a little like tending to a tiny zen garden.
They’re beautiful, calming, and a bit unpredictable in the most human way. Because they’re made of natural material, no two are perfectly identical - which means the flame, crackle, and burn behavior can vary slightly from candle to candle.
Sometimes they behave like a dream.
Sometimes they need a little help.
If you enjoy small rituals and don’t mind a touch of “hands-on elegance,” wooden wicks are very rewarding. The glow is warm, the sound is soft and cozy, and the whole experience feels intentional.
How to Use Your Candle
Candles aren’t light bulbs. They love a little attention.
Before lighting
Place the candle on a stable, heat-safe surface.
Keep away from drafts (they can cause uneven melting).
Trim the wick to 4-5 mm before each burn.
This is especially important for wooden wicks.
Wick Trimming
Before each burn, trim the wick to 4–5 mm.
This is the single most important thing you can do for a wooden wick candle. A wick that's too long burns inefficiently, produces soot, and struggles to stay lit. A charred, mushroomed tip is the most common cause of a weak or drowning flame.
If you have candle scissors or a wick trimmer: snip cleanly just above the char line. Done.
If you don't: use a paper tissue and your fingers. Pinch the charred portion of the wick firmly — everything that breaks off easily in your grip is ready to go. Work gently: you're removing the fragile burnt crust, not the wood itself. Don't force it, don't twist, and don't pull at the base. The goal is a clean tip, not a shorter wick. Discard the debris — don't let it fall back into the wax.
Do this before every burn, even if the previous burn looked fine. It takes five seconds and makes a real difference.
During burning
On the first burn, let the wax melt all the way to the edges of the glass.
This helps prevent tunneling and sets up a smooth burn later.Burn 2-4 hours at a time.
Do not exceed 4 hours in one session.Never leave a candle unattended.
Keep away from children, pets, and anything flammable.
Very important “please don’t”
- Do not microwave the candle.
- Don't add water or any foreign objects to the wax pool.
- Don't burn in a drafty spot — but also never in a fully enclosed, unventilated space.
- Never leave a burning candle unattended.
- Never burn while sleeping.
- Keep away from children and pets at all times.
- Don't place near curtains, paper, fabric, or anything flammable.
- Don't burn on an unstable or uneven surface — the glass must sit flat and secure.
- Don't move the candle while it's lit or while the wax is still liquid.
- Don't burn the candle if the glass is cracked or chipped — discard it immediately.
- Don't let wick trimmings or any debris fall into the wax pool — remove them before lighting.
- Stop burning when approximately 1 cm of wax remains at the bottom. Burning past this point overheats the glass base.
How to Extinguish
Put it out with intention.
Blowing out a wooden wick isn't ideal, but if you do — blow gently, and from above rather than from the side. A sharp sideways breath can scatter embers or send wax splashing. A soft downward breath is much cleaner.
Better yet, use a candle snuffer if you have one. If you don't, cover the glass with something flat and non-flammable — a metal pan lid, a flat piece of glass, a small plate. Set it over the rim for a few seconds and the flame dies quietly on its own.
After extinguishing:
- Don't move the candle until the wax has re-solidified. The glass retains heat and the wax stays liquid longer than you'd expect.
- Leave the space ventilated for a minute — any residual smoke will clear quickly.
(And remember to trim the wick before your next burn — not now, once everything is fully cool and you're ready to light again.)
Candle Storage
Between burns, treat it like what it is: a premium object.
Coconut–apricot wax is beautiful but soft. A few things to avoid:
- Direct sunlight - it can yellow or soften the wax surface over time.
- Dust - it settles into the wax and can affect the scent throw. A loose cover works well.
- Heat sources - don't store near a radiator or sunny windowsill. Room temperature is perfect.
The glass itself doesn't need any special treatment, but keeping the candle away from strong fragrances or cooking odors while unlit will preserve the scent until the next burn.
When to Stop Burning
Know when you're done.
Stop burning your candle when there's approximately 1 cm (roughly a finger's width) of wax remaining at the bottom of the glass. Burning past this point can cause the glass to overheat at the base, which is both a safety concern and bad news for the glass you're planning to reuse.
At that depth, the wax is no longer providing enough insulation between the flame and the bottom of the vessel. The candle has done its job — and your glass is almost ready for its second life.
When the Candle Is Finished
Wax Removal
Once the candle has burned down and the glass is completely cool, here are two ways to clean it out:
Warm water method. Fill a bowl or your sink with warm (not boiling) water and set the glass in it — don't submerge it. The warmth will soften the wax from the outside in. As it becomes pliable, remove it with paper tissues. Don't use a towel or sponge — wax is notoriously stubborn to get out of fabric, and you'll end up with a ruined cloth rather than a clean glass.
Hair dryer method. (recommended — easiest and most controlled)Point a hair dryer at the outside of the glass on a low-to-medium heat setting and move it slowly around the base and sides. As the wax softens and starts pulling away from the glass, remove it with paper tissues - same rule applies here, paper only.
The small metal wick holder at the bottom can simply be thrown away - and that's exactly why we ask you not to microwave the candle.
Using the Glass After
Once the wax is out, give the glass a gentle hand-wash with dish soap and warm water. Avoid the dishwasher for this first wash — a thorough hand-wash ensures any remaining waxy film is fully gone. After that, the glass is dishwasher safe and can go into your bar rotation like any other.
When cleaning, avoid anything sharp inside the glass — no metal sponges, no knives or abrasive tools. They'll leave scratches on the interior, which matters when this glass is going on to serve cocktails.
Once clean and dry, give it a polish with a microfiber cloth — the classic bartender move for a streak-free, crystal-clear shine.
Finally: if the glass ever gets chipped over the course of its life, retire it safely. A chipped cocktail glass is a cut hazard and should be thrown away — no exceptions.
This is part of the brand philosophy: objects should keep living.
All the cocktail glasses used in Sipping Scents are also available for purchase at Alambika. So if you fall in love with a shape, you can easily build a matching set for your bar - whether you want a pair for date-night cocktails or a full lineup for hosting. It’s a simple way to turn one candle into the start of a proper glassware collection.
Troubleshooting Guide
Wooden wicks sometimes need small, simple adjustments.
The flame looks small or seems to be drowning
This is the most common situation.
Do this:
Extinguish the candle.
Let the wax cool slightly.
Remove the charred portion of the wick.
Re-trim to 4–5 mm.
Don’t do this:
Don’t scoop out wax.
The issue is usually airflow, not wax volume.
The candle is tunneling
Tunneling means the wax melts in the center and leaves a ring around the edges.
Fix:
On your next burn, let the candle run long enough for the melt pool to reach the edges.
Make sure you’re in a draft-free spot.
The flame smokes or soots
Cause: wick is too long or there’s a draft.
Fix:
Trim to 4–5 mm.
Move away from airflow.
One side won’t fully melt
This can happen if the wick is slightly off-center or a draft is cooling one side.
Try:
Ensure the surface is level and the air is still.
Keep the wick trimmed and char-free.
If needed, use a foil collar around the rim for a short corrective burn, angled slightly toward the cooler side.
Foil Collar Trick
What it is: a strip of aluminum foil folded over the rim of the glass like a collar, creating a partial tent over the candle. It reduces airflow, traps heat inside the glass, and directs the warmth inward toward the cooler side of the wax.
How to do it:
- Tear off a strip of standard kitchen foil, roughly the circumference of your glass.
- Fold it lengthwise once or twice until it's about 3–4 cm wide and sturdy enough to hold its shape.
- Wrap it around the rim so it extends slightly inward over the glass — like a half-lid. Leave an opening where the wick is, and angle the tent slightly toward the side that isn't melting.
- Let the candle burn for 30–60 minutes this way, checking occasionally.
- Remove carefully — the foil and the glass rim will be hot.
This is a corrective technique, not a permanent setup. Once the melt pool has evened out, burn normally from that point on.
