Anis del mono
Anís del Mono is the trade-mark of a classic Spanish anisette liqueur, the name meaning “The Monkey’s Anisette.” The drink is strongly flavoured with aniseed, and is often taken in coffee as a cajarillo de anis. It is distilled in Badalona, next to Barcelona, in its beachside factory. The iconic bottle design features the face of a monkey-like Charles Darwin, used since 1902. It is unsure whether the original idea was to discredit Darwin or just take advantage of the ensuing contemporary debate.
La primera defiende que Bosch, notario y afamado empresario, aprovechó el debate que suscitaban las teorías de Darwin para publicitar su marca como la más evolucionada; otros defienden que se buscaba desacreditar al científico. Sea como fuera, lo cierto es que la visita a la fábrica del Anís refinado Vicente Bosch, más conocido como Anís del Mono, deja hoy un muy buen sabor de boca. El Pais
Note: Anis del mono was originally produced in 1904 under the trade-mark name Anís del Juliano or “Julian’s Anisette.”
A number of Spanish artists have paid testament to the superb design of the bottle.
Juan Gris painted this work in 1914 entitled Anis del Mono.
And Picasso painted in 1915 Bottle of Anís del Mono, Wineglass and Playing Card
Characters in Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises and Hills Like White Elephants drink and discuss Anís del Toro—’Bull’s Anisette’, clearly the bullfight-loving Hemingway’s pun or joke on the original.
The girl looked at the bead curtain. ‘They’ve painted something on it,’ she said. ‘What does it say?’
‘Anis del Toro. It’s a drink.’
‘Could we try it?’
The man called ‘Listen’ through the curtain. The woman came out from the bar.
‘Four reales.’ ‘We want two Anis del Toro.’
‘With water?’
‘Do you want it with water?’
‘I don’t know,’ the girl said. ‘Is it good with water?’
‘It’s all right.’
‘You want them with water?’ asked the woman.
‘Yes, with water.’
‘It tastes like liquorice,’ the girl said and put the glass down.
‘That’s the way with everything.’
‘Yes,’ said the girl. ‘Everything tastes of liquorice. Especially all the things you’ve waited so long for, like absinthe.’