Monkey 47

The story of Monkey 47 begins after World War II. In 1945, Montgomery Collins , at the time Commander of the Royal Air Force, was stationed in Berlin , where he dedicated himself, among other things, to the reconstruction of the zoo: in this circumstance he became friends with the little monkey Max , whose memory will accompany the English officer for years to come. In 1951, having retired to the Black Forest , Collins took over an inn , which he named “Zum Wilden Affen” (To the Wild Monkey) in honor of his old friend. Here he devoted himself to the production of a gin that was served as a house distillate until the 1970s. The recipe combines the fresh scents of the Black Forest with the aromas of spices that recall the childhood spent in India.

During a recent renovation of the inn, a wooden box decorated with the effigy of a monkey was found, inside which is the recipe of the 47 botanicals of the 47 degree gin dedicated to "Max the Monkey": thus it comes back to light the gin of Montgomery Collins and his cute little monkey.