If Carlsberg did gin…….it still wouldn’t be as good as Monkey 47!
Described by many as the best gin in the world, it’s easy to see why this German spirit is receiving such high praise.
It’s truly distinctive from the myriad of other gins on the market. Sometimes different doesn’t necessarily mean better, but in this case it most definitely does.
The gin is made from 47 different handpicked plants – half of which come from the home of the Black Forest distillery – and includes the unusual choice of cranberries. The number 47 also stands for the strength of the gin after being distilled, filtered and matured for 3 months. The attention to detail paid off. Monkey 47 has won a raft of industry awards and is quite frankly, a bloody good gin!
For the record, even through produced in Germany, the recipe did come from a Brit abroad. It was created more than 60 years ago by an RAF colonel who retired in Germany and set up a guest house in Berlin. He missed many of the comforts of home, but none more so than that of “mothers ruin” so he created his own gin, using local ingredients, to serve himself and his guests.
His recipe and hand drawn bottle were found in a long hidden, forgotten box during the refurbishment of the old house at the turn of the century. Distillery owner Alex Stein fell in love with the story and the gin, and so Monkey 47 was brought in to the world in 2008.
Now, you get the whole 47 thing – the number of ingredients, and also the strength of the gin. But what about the monkey? Please be assured no simians were harmed in the production of this fine gin. It seems the old Wing Commander loved wildlife and sponsored a monkey called Max at Berlin Zoo.
You can choose whether or not to believe the surreal back story to the brand, but I guarantee you the one thing you will believe is the wonderful taste of this unique gin. And for once the word unique is being used properly!
