*WARNING* Rated NC-17 Sexual Content

You’ve seen a fuzzy navel and had sex on the beach. Maybe you said, “bend over Shirley” or begged for a screaming orgasm. Then, there is the forbidden desire for a Monkey Gland. All are cocktails with names meant to elicit an emotional response from someone like you, dear reader.

Do I have your attention?

Origin of the Monkey Gland

The Monkey Gland was created and popularized in the 1920’s. It’s a classic. If you get past the name and the image it conjures up, you will enjoy a delicious drink. It’s popularity exploded because of a trio of powerful attributes. It has a sexually suggestive name, contains absinthe, a taboo ingredient and it’s really, really good!

Creation of the monkey gland is credited to Harry MacElhone, owner of Harry’s New York Bar in Paris, and the epicenter of the monkey gland phenomenon because of proximity to one Dr. Serge Voronoff.

How the Monkey Gland Got It’s Name

In 1920 the medical community was still searching for the fountain of youth. Russian born but French educated Dr. Voronoff began to research grafting animal tissue to other animals and humans. The goal was to transfer desirable animal characteristics to the graft recipients. His specialty involved grafting the tissue of monkey testicles to the nether regions of male humans. Voronoff claimed the hormonal transfer would increase longevity and the placebo effect initially reinforced his claim. Recipients shouted from the rooftops about renewed vigor and virility. Voronoff performed two thousand surgeries, charging patients $5,000 to $10,000 each.

He was eventually discredited, but the famous cocktail lived on when Harry MacElhone and Frank Meier capitalized on the sensational story. It remains a favorite on the cocktail menu of the Monkey Bar located in New York City.

And just one more thing…

Imagine what Dr. Voronoff might do given the genetic engineering tools available today. Print