Anis Infernal:
Bringing out the best
in the world´s
worst anisette since 1888
What we did
Tone of voice
Storytelling
Visual identity
Packaging
In 1888, Miguel Serra, an offbeat and visionary businessman, created an anisette that was much more than an alcoholic beverage. It was a breakthrough in marketing history. Named Anís Infernal (Hellish Anisette), he aimed to shock and make people smile at the same time. While other brands proclaimed to be the best of their kind, Serra marketed its creation as the “World’s worst Anisette” made with “Priorat’s cheapest wines”, adding that it “has never won an award (and never will)”.
More than a century later, Serra’s great-grandson approached us to relaunch the product. Our task was to rebuild and recreate the Anís Infernal brand while staying faithful to its origins and developing a coherent identity, picking up from where the brand left off so many years ago.
Whereas many brands strive to edit their history to make it as interesting as possible, this project was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: getting to work with the self-proclaimed worst product of its category. History, humour and beautiful vintage design all in one brand. Yes, please, serve us some more.
Sometimes, brands have to be forced to dig deep into their history or, even worse, exaggerate it to the point of making it interesting to find something to base their brand on. But the story of Anis Infernal is quite the opposite. With such a rich biography, relaunching the brand is an exercise in respecting the origins as faithfully as possible, while maintaining a freshness that remains intact more than 130 years later.
