Anís Del Oso — The Story of an Iconic Liqueur

Origin and Context
The Anís Del Oso brand (also known as Deloso) appeared at the beginning of the 20th century. It is a Spanish anise-flavored liqueur, whose fame developed primarily in France thanks to a series of remarkable advertising posters between 1919 and 1921. The name "Del Oso" literally means "of the Bear" in Spanish — a symbol of strength and popular tradition.

Early Advertising
The first known representations of the brand come from lithographic posters:

1919 – poster by J. Spring, printed by Vercasson, Paris, showing a dancer accompanied by a bear.

1920–1921 – Posters by René Lelong (Hachard & Cie printing house) and Leonetto Cappiello (Devambez workshop), dedicated to the “Anís Del Oso Superior Quality Liqueur.”
These works, now held in museums and libraries (Paris, Lyon), attest to the brand’s advertising prestige and its European distribution.

A liqueur with a Spanish identity
Although its exact production remains poorly documented, everything indicates that Anís Del Oso belonged to the great tradition of Iberian aniseed liqueurs, these brandies flavored with anise seed (“matalahúva”) highly prized in the Iberian Peninsula. The brand exploited Hispanic imagery—bears, dancers, the sun—to appeal to French and international audiences.

Legacy and Legacy
Anís Del Oso's posters are now considered among the masterpieces of late Belle Époque advertising. They bear witness to the convergence of art, craftsmanship, and gastronomy. While the brand is no longer produced, it remains an icon of the graphic heritage and culture of Mediterranean liqueurs.

These search criteria may interest you: