#21
Monkey 47
Black Forest Distillers
Äußerer Vogelsberg, Loßburg, Germany
- dry gin
- H19.4cm Φ7.9cm
- 500ml
- 47％vol
the product:
Monkey 47 is a high-quality premium craft gin from Schwarzwald, Germany.It is based on a recipe created by Montgomery Collins. Collins’ idea was bold enough to add exotic spices and botanical herbs native to Schwarzwald to gin.
Based on this recipe, Alexander Stein from the Black Forest, and a distiller Christoph Keller experimented with botanicals and distillation methods. After two years of development, Monkey 47 was completed.
The basic alcohol of gin is distilled liquor made from molasses, which can stabilize the flavor.
For water, they use natural spring water from the Schwarzwald, which comes from a deep sandstone spring that is said to be particularly soft in Europe.
In the flavoring process, they soak 47 kinds of botanicals, which represent “47” of Monkey 47.
The 47 botanicals are made with more than one-third of hand-picked fresh herbs from Schwarzwald, finest quality spices, herbs, seeds, roots and flower.
For citrus fruits, especially lemons and grapefruits, the peels are soaked raw to further bring out the fresh aroma. Therefore, they are particular about carefully selected organic products.
The method and timing of soaking are varied according to the ingredients.
For example, the lingonberries, which are the source of the soft aroma, are soaked first instead of soaking the ingredients all at once.
The soaked spirits are then extracted in small quantities with skilled distillation techniques while being circulated to draw out the aromas from the ingredients.
To preserve the unique and complex aroma, the distillate is not filtered, but is allowed to age slowly for three months in traditional ceramic vessels.
After aging, it is diluted to the required strength. Again, the natural spring water from the Schwarzwald, which is very low in minerals and salt, create mellowness.
The container is a brown glass bottle that protects the aroma from ultraviolet rays, inspired by laboratory glasses. The ring on the cork is one of the features of the bottle.
It has a gorgeous aroma that has been described as “a fragrance that should also be produced as perfumes”, and has a complex flavor that is woven by herbs and fruits.
It is a perfect balance of English tradition, Indian exoticism, and Schwarzwald nature.
You can enjoy it on the rocks, straight, with soda, or enjoy it as it is, or you can also mix it with tonic, slings, martini, and gimlet to make it stand out.
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the maker:
Black Forest Distillers, the manufacturer of Monkey 47, was established in 2008 in Schwarzwald, Germany, a region with very rich nature. Monkey 47 began with a recipe created by the Englishman Montgomery Collins.Born in India under British rule in1909, Collins grew up as the son of a diplomat and spent time in Madras. In1945, Collins took on the task of governing the British jurisdiction in Berlin, where he was shocked to see the devastated Berlin and helped Germany recover. After retiring from the Royal Air Force, he moved to Schwarzwald.
In the environment rich in natural spring water and rare herbs, his interest in gin sparked, and he created his own recipe.
Monkey 47's “Monkey" comes from Collins' efforts to rebuild the Berlin Zoo, where he sponsored an East Indian rhesus monkey named Max.
In 2006, a little more than half a century after the recipe was developed, an old wooden box containing Collins' recipe and bottles was coincidentally discovered during the renovation of the building.
Alexander Stein from Schwarzwald, a descendant of the founder of Jacobi Brandy, discovers the existence of this wonderful gin recipe and decides to bring new life to the idea of Collins’ gin.
Soon after, Alexander met Christoph Keller, a passionate local distiller. They partnered, repeated development to created Monkey 47 based on Collins' recipe.
Next to the Monkey 47 distillery, there is a laboratory called BoozeLab. They think about the world of aromatics from a different perspective, and mix botanicals and develop recipes every day in the lab.
Several times a year, they release approximately 500 bottles of the Experimentum Series, which challenges technology and tradition with the theme of food and fruit in cities around the world.
They also produce original tumblers, cups, and books, which are available online.
On their official website, you can enjoy finding the cocktails recipes using Monkey 47 as well as the detailed introduction of the 47 botanicals used in Monkey 47.
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