Mary Scott, of Palmerston North, the grand-daughter of pharmacist Edward Lane, who invented the tonic, recalls as a child visiting the Lane's Emulsion factory in Harbour St, now part of Oamaru's historic precinct.
Mrs Smith had some advice for people trying to re-create the smell.
Her suggestion was: "Baileys or Drambuie (lots), one egg yolk, a drop of creosote and cod liver oil".
She contacted the Otago Daily Times about her memories from those days, after reading an article about a competition to re-create the smell of Lane's Emulsion.
"As a child, I was let into the factory by a very small door (which is still there in the main door). The building seemed enormous to me as a child, smelling of cod liver oil and creosote and the smell clung to my grandfather's clothes," she said.
The North Otago Museum is challenging people to re-create the distinctive smell of Lane's Emulsion so visitors to an exhibition planned about the tonic can experience it.
Entrants are asked to take about half a cup of their concoction, along with the recipe they used, to the museum by May 31.
One entry has been received, but the museum curator Chloe Searle is hoping there will be more, with people experimenting until entries close.
Mrs Scott cannot remember whether or not she liked her grandfather's tonic.
Lane's Emulsion contained brandy (with a 7% alcohol content) and Mrs Scott said that was imported from South Africa.
"When it arrived at Harbour St, a great night or day prevailed. Oamaru was under prohibition at the time so, of course, it was "tested" by the excise men - and many other "testers", she said.
While many parents were great believers in the tonic and the benefit to their families, Mrs Scott suspected there were conflicting opinions.
Her father was very fond of it, but she was not sure whether that was because of its medicinal purposes or the brandy in it.
"I can still see him in my mind's eye delving into the pantry for a good spoonful of it, especially over the winter months, and that smell punching out at you," she said.
The tonic also contained fresh egg yolks, with the whites being collected by Ernest Adams for its meringues.
Whites were also used by an Oamaru confectionery maker.
Miss Searle said yesterday the first entry had come from an Oamaru woman, using a recipe "purely by guesswork" which contained seven ingredients and based on her memory of the tonic.
The original recipe contained cod liver oil, beechwood creosote, mineral lime, soda, brandy, vitamins, fresh egg yolk and some secret ingredients.
Crombie and Price, which bought the Lane's Medicine Company and has the rights to the recipe, is sponsoring a dinner for two at Loan and Merc for the winner.
