The story of Monkey 47 gin is romantic: in 1951, a British man named Montgomery Collins moved to Germany's Black Forest and opened a guesthouse named "Zum wilden Affen"--the wild monkey. At that time a renowned gin drinker, Collins's taste for the spirit was unknown until renovation work at the country guesthouse led to the discovery of a weighty old wooden box containing a bottle and a letter. The dusty bottle had been labeled and decorated by hand, showing a sketch of a monkey and the words "Max the Monkey--Schwarzwald Dry Gin." The accompanying letter contained not only personal notes and photographs but also a detailed description of the plant ingredients in Montgomery's recipe, from which the Monkey 47 Gin is reproduced. The relevant part of the story is this: Monkey 47 Gin is AMAZING. It's like an elixir sent from heaven. A good third of the ingredients for this special gin came from the Black Forest (including local juniper, also important for making Black Forest ham). In total, 47 handpicked botanicals, prepared in extremely soft spring water from a local Black Forest source, give Monkey 47 an unrivaled complexity and quality. The use of local cranberries adds a distinct fruity note to the floral and complex whirlwind of flavors. Esteemed wine critic Robert Parker called it the "the greatest gin I have ever tasted." We're not sure if that makes it 100 points, but it might be as close as one can get.
