Yes it is a long way from home. But it was worth every single mile. Since april 2012 the Monkey has made appearances in central parts of Japan. In recent months, growth in the monkey population has meant more frequent forays out of the Black Forest and into sophisticated Bars and Restaurants all over Japan. Kanpai is what we say!
Spurred on by an oft-cited herbal curiosity, but even more so by a well-nigh obsessive pursuit of the highest-possible quality, Black Forest Distillers embark on botanical expeditions each year. In 2019, the journey led them into the very depths of the Black Forest on a hunt for … spruce shoots! The shoots of coniferous trees have long been employed in folk medicine and traditional cuisine. Their uses were described by the polymath Hi...
In February 2015, we set out for Sicily – more specifically for the foot of Mount Etna, Europe’s most powerful volcano. Guided by our local expert, Calogero, we visited an old plantation in the Cavagrande region, whose groves of trees were already being weighed down by the lemons we hoped to lend a hand in harvesting. In the Sicilian community of Sant’Alfio, which lies on a plane of lava that cooled...
Once an international villain by trade, Mr Blofeld now lives a secluded life in the northern Black Forest, where he has been running a highly successful Ayurvedic cat salon for four years. We recently managed to convince him to talk with us about the constant passage of time. Mr Blofeld, you started what may be the most successful criminal organisation of the modern age and ran it for more than 40 ...
Along with our oft-cited botanical curiosity, it’s our practically obsessive quest for the highest quality that leads us out on annual botanical expeditions to our suppliers. In late July 2015, we embarked on a journey to the vast lavender fields of Provence, seeking to breathe in the intoxicating scent of the dried blossoms that lend Monkey 47 its incomparable floral aroma. This mission, which we dubbed “Botanical Expedition: Lavendula Angustifolia”, would whisk ...
Upon making his move to the Black Forest – to the Schaberhof and the Wild Monkey distillery, to be precise – the Monkey began turning his surroundings into a picturesque new home. Primates are not all that different from people, after all, and relocating typically offers the opportunity to rearrange the furniture a bit. The minders thus worked with the Markdorf-based coppersmith Arnold Holstein for more than two years on designing and manu...
Along with our oft-cited botanical curiosity, it’s our practically obsessive quest for the highest quality that leads us out on annual botanical expeditions to our suppliers. Like Winnetou rinding across the prairie, our search took us to the Dalmatian coast near Plitvice, where we finally encountered the perfect juniper aroma. The juniper`s unique characters starts with the earth in which it grows. For millennia, the bushes have been sp...
This botanical expedition began in the spring of 2015 in the montados and ended near Porto, where Paulo and his brothers represent the third generation to run his family’s cork business. As you might have already guessed, they produce the corks that keep the Monkey in the bottle. The Ribatejo region is a former province of the Tejo plains northeast of Lisbon, which are also referred to as the “Garden of L...
Led by the Polizeiblaetzle on horseback – Blaetzle refers to the felt scales that adorn the policeman’s garment – the Blaetzle boys of Constance’s fools’ guild roam the city’s alleyways on Holy Thursday in keeping with a long-held Alemannic Carnival custom. Their traditional costume, or Haes, is made according to set rules and is typically sewn by the costume wearer himself. It consists of three pieces – pants, a tunic and a hood – c...
