Eat, Drink And Be Merry At Rosewood London’s Monkey 47 Winter Lodge

Tucked away in the heart of central London, The Monkey 47 Winter Lodge takes inspiration from British Commander Montgomery "Monty" Collins, and his Schwarzwald dry gin brand, ‘Max the Monkey’ Gin, which he named after a monkey that he sponsored in the Berlin Zoo.

Having moved to the Black Forest after World War II, Monty opened a country guesthouse and, in an effort to retain his British roots, started to produce his own gin. The forest boasted an abundance of juniper, bramble leaves, lingonberries and many other botanicals that led to the creation of his unique Black Forest gin recipe. Many years later, the discovery of this gin in turn led to the current owner, Alexander Stein, to create a similar product using 47 different botanicals, over a third of which come from the Black Forest itself. In turn, Monkey 47 was born!

The Monkey 47 Winter Lodge at Rosewood London is inspired by the lodge where Monty used to live, and the courtyard has been transformed to mirror its surroundings; abundant with majestic, festive fir trees.

Inside the lodge, Monkey 47 will provide drinks that are sure to evoke the feeling of Christmas spirit. The menu will comprise of hot and cold gin cocktails with a selection inspired by German desserts and paired with British ones. The Monty Strudel cocktail, available either hot or cold, will be paired with a Spiced Custard Tart with Agen Prunes.

The cocktail will combine Monkey 47 gin, green apple liqueur, apple juice, lime juice and a syrup spiced with orange and cinnamon tea, star anise and cloves to compliment the sweet and sour notes of the seasonal custard, which mirrors the cream of the classic apple strudel.

The Black Forest Gateau cocktail, served hot, will conjure up tastes of the famous German dessert through layers of ingredients – Monkey 47 Gin, Cherry Heering, Fine Ruby port, and fresh lemon juice as a base, topped with cream composed of redcurrant syrup, Briottet Crème de Cacao Blanc, and Mozart White Chocolate Liqueur. A decadent dessert in cocktail form, the Black Forest Gateau will be garnished with custom shaved chocolate to each guest’s liking in a tableside service.

For Negroni lovers, there will be a twist on the classic cocktail using Monkey 47 Sloe Gin, Belsazar Rosé Vermouth, and Suze Liqueur. The Sloe Negroni will be on tap and poured from the hands of a monkey that’s sure to entice. For those in favour of sparking cocktails there will be a refreshing Max Fizz.

In addition, the festive Oma’s Secret – made with Monkey 47 Sloe Gin, cloudy apple juice, vermouth and hibiscus tea and spiced with cloves, orange zest, cinnamon, vanilla bitters and Tonka bean – has been created to pair with Holborn Dining Room’s warming mince pies. The classic Gin and Tonic will also sit alongside the menu; offering Monkey 47 Gin with Double Dutch Christmas tonic, and Monkey 47 Sloe Gin with Franklin Lemon tonic.