What makes you so special? Monkey 47 Gin

Welcome to the first in the series of our "What makes you so special?" posts. Here we'll be playing kudos to a drink that may have turned the Master Mixologists head, popped his taste buds and caught his imagination, bringing you the inside scoop on what's worth a try.

This time we'll be taking a closer look at Monkey 47 – Schwarzwald Dry Gin. 

So anything that has the word Monkey in its name piques my curiosity. But why do you love it?

Monkey 47 uses 47 handpicked ingredients, prepared in extremely soft spring water from a German distiller "Black Forest" source. It gives Monkey 47 the piece de resistance which is the “secret weapon” I use typical to the Black Forest cocktail. It has an unrivaled complexity and quality. This is all thanks to the masterly distillation and a traditional maturing process which uses traditional earthenware containers.


What else is unique about it?

It's a very unusual gin in terms of taste and aroma and delivers a perfect umami taste (which in Japanese means "pleasant savoury taste", stimulating various taste receptors on the tongue.

What was your first impression of it and did it change over time?

When I first tried it during a tasting session I smelt it and thought WOW this is unusual!  I liked it even before tasting it and now I love mixing with it.  It has a refreshing aroma, unlike the traditional juniper berry and upfront types of gin. It's very much a new world gin. 

What's it best used for? 

Gimlet 47, Monkey Grapes, Dry Martini, Negroni or the famous James Bond Martini "Vesper 007"."

Mmmmm I could do with one of those now! So who would you recommend try the Monkey 47?

Someone who appreciates the good things in life! 

What's in a philosophy?

How much do you know about mixology? Do you know the difference between being a bartender and a mixologist? And did you know that most live by a bartending and/or mixology philosophy? 

Goodness so many questions! Let's see what The Master Mixologist has to say about all this.

So what is the difference between mixology and bartending anyway?

Mixology usually refers to a more detailed and in-depth study of the art and skill of mixing. Not all bartenders are mixologists but all mixologists are bartenders. A bartender who has good bartending skills and knowledge can be a good mixologist in no time but a mixologist who doesn't have any bartending experience...well they may not be a good bartender.  It's a fine line.

What's your bartending philosophy versus your mixology philosophy?

My bartending philosophy goes something like this:

Professionalism = You want  be a Professional? You better behave like one! 

Enthusiasm = Passion - without it, you go nowhere.

Knowledge = Experience. Never stop learning.

Personality = Have  individual charisma and style when handling the customer. You can't live without it in the bar scene.

Speed = You better work faster! The customer is waiting! 

My mixology philosophy is based on the notion that you should dare to be different and I have a special term for doing just that - it's called "The Revolutions".

 

I love creating new drinks with different techniques and breaking the traditional way of making them. I'm always searching for that breakthrough and am driven by the desire to create something different without flipping the bottle, by using special techniques that allow me to create art for the palate and mind. 

A lot of the time new Revolutions will come to me just before I fall asleep - I'll be thinking about ingredients to mix and match, new techniques, different ways to combine elements, and how they can stimulate the 5 senses and palates. 

Wow I am loving the idea of these Revolutions! So how many Revolutions do you think you've dreamt up, what's been the most memorable,  and what's the craziest to date?

Probably around 180 of them. The Flambee series of martinis are the most memorable.  I always wanted to use the technique of igniting cocktails using the creme brulee technique (check out the picture below). I was so happy that day when  I made my first flambee martini when it met my expectations!

And the craziest Revolution would have to be stir frying the ingredients over an open flame all in one glass without a pan, glass, torches of any stove!

i  that it met my own expectations!

And are there any times when your bartending and/or mixology philosophy  has been REALLY challenged?

For sure - for example when a customer treats you or your staff in a nasty way, and you have to smile, endure and champion on through to complete the task at hand to make that customer happy. But that's a necessary evil of the service industry right?

Also some clients once they have tried all your cocktails, they ask you to create something on the spot for them, something you don't even have in your bar but you still deliver the miracle of the final product!