Shock the Monkey (and my apologies to Peter Gabriel)

The “Monkey” in Monkey 47 is not a metaphor, or some clever marketing mascot, or a cheeky British nickname. It was very real.

After World War II, Montgomery Collins settled in Germany’s Black Forest and opened a small guesthouse and trout farm. During his earlier postings in India and Southeast Asia, Collins had acquired a pet monkey, which followed him through his travels and eventually to Germany. When he named his establishment Zum Wilden Affen or “The Wild Monkey,” he was not being poetic. He was being literal.

Guests stayed at the Wild Monkey. Guests met the monkey. And guests drank Collins’ homemade gin while doing both.

For his guests, Collins poured a homemade gin built from 47 botanicals. Juniper led the charge, but forest herbs, lingonberries, citrus peel, roots, and spices all had a say. It was layered, eccentric, and utterly unapologetic.

The name stuck, as good names often do, because it was memorable, slightly absurd, and entirely honest. Decades later, when the gin recipe was rediscovered and revived, the monkey remained part of the story, not as branding flair but as historical fact.

In short, Monkey 47 is called Monkey 47 because there was a monkey, there were 47 botanicals, and the man behind it never saw a reason to clean the story up just for company. 🍸

Cheers! -Juniper Jeff