WHAT MOMO

HISTORY OF QUINA-MOMO

Quina Momo is a sweet herbal liqueur with digestive properties, very popular in Catalonia until the end of the 20th century.
Its origin dates back to Barcelona in 1891, when José Torras i Castells patented the formula. From its beginnings, its manufacture was
surrounded by legal and advertising disputes between different houses such as Camps Bardagí and Mariano Soley, who commercialized it with
innovative marketing strategies for the time, such as distributing sugar cubes with advertising in the city's cafes. Agustí Garriga, a Barcelona herbalist, is even
credited with creating this liqueur, awarded a gold medal in 1907 at the
International Hygiene Exhibition.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Quina Momo expanded with several manufacturers in Sants and Barcelona, until the Abril family, established
in Argentona since 1840, acquired the formula around 1920. Since then, the liqueur became an emblematic product of the town,
being consumed throughout Catalonia. Advertising campaigns and the sponsorship of local entities reinforced its "Argentonina" identity. During the heyday of the Abril Hermanos distillery, Quina Momo coexisted with other liqueurs produced by the company. The great boost came
with the licensed manufacturing of the French Grand Marnier, which accounted for up to 80% of sales. Thanks to this association,
Destilerías Abril modernized and expanded its activity, although limits were also established: the contract with Grand Marnier prohibited
producing more than 1,500 annual cases of Quina Momo, as it was considered direct competition.

Quina Momo was described as a sweet, unctuous, yellow liqueur with great popular acceptance. Its production, however,
never exceeded 18,000 liters per year, which helped to maintain it as a local delicacy. With the closure of Destilerías Abril in
1985, it disappeared from the market. In the early 1990s, after a few years of Quina-Momo's disappearance,  the winemaker Josep Castañé recovered the brand and relaunched the liqueur.

After some years of ups and downs and a new disappearance between 2015 and 2025, Celler Castañé of Argentona has once again recovered the essence
of Quina Momo. In the summer of 2025, it relaunched the brand with a renewed image adapted to modern times, keeping alive the historical
and cultural link with Argentona. This recovery represents not only the return of a traditional product, but also the revitalization of
a symbol of local identity that continues to arouse interest among collectors, gourmets, and new generations seeking to reconnect with the memory and flavors of the land.

In short, Quina Momo is more than a liqueur: it is a cultural and social heritage, with a history marked by disputes, adaptations and
rebirths, which have made it a benchmark of the Catalan liqueur tradition and, today, a current product that is once again
taking center stage.