Born within the rolling hills of Umbria, Italy, Quattro Gatti Gin captures the spirit of Italian aperitivo tradition by a refined, terroir-driven method.
The title (which means “4 cats”) is an Italian expression describing a small, close-knit gathering, a philosophy that displays the model’s emphasis on conviviality and intentional sipping.
We caught up with Quattro Gatti CMO Brielle Mordant to study extra in regards to the story behind the model, its Umbrian roots, and the philosophy shaping its distinctive method to Italian gin.
What’s the story behind the title Quattro Gatti, and the way does it mirror the model’s identification?
“Quattro Gatti” (actually translated as “4 cats”) is an Italian phrase that refers to a small group of individuals. It’s how Italians describe a small, close-knit gathering, which is strictly how we would like individuals to take pleasure in our gin – amongst mates and family members in an intimate setting.
It additionally refers to our 4 co-founders: Simon and Catriona Mordant, their son Angus, and me. We began the model collectively, and every of us performs a pivotal position in its success.
Our gin is supposed to be savored in good firm, with a selected few. If you happen to go searching at any crowded bar or restaurant, you’ll see it in all places. Small circles of mates laughing, connecting, and being current. Quattro Gatti aspires to be part of these moments.
Which botanicals function the muse of Quattro Gatti’s taste profile, and why have been these chosen as core parts?
Our household has had a deep reference to Umbria, Italy, for over 20 years. When creating the gin, we wished to seize the essence of that area, which is called “the inexperienced coronary heart of Italy.” Native substances have been paramount in making the gin really feel evocative of the native space and undoubtedly Italian in style.
On the coronary heart of each expressions is Italian juniper, plentiful within the Umbria area the place Quattro Gatti was based and broadly thought to be the best on this planet.
Past the juniper, Angus intentionally saved the botanical choice targeted, utilizing fewer than ten botanicals in every gin to permit each ingredient room to shine. He approached every gin like a fastidiously crafted meal: each element have to be interesting by itself, whereas additionally working in concord to create a balanced and profitable complete.
How does the model stability traditional gin-making traditions with fashionable creativity in distillation and recipe improvement?
All the spirit’s recipe improvement occurs on our household’s property in Umbria. The distilling course of itself is sort of conventional, however the experimentation and improvement are inventive and hands-on. We choose botanicals and herbs straight from our land, go to the native markets to supply substances, after which do all of the testing and weighing out ratios ourselves.
We attempt to be inventive and push the boundaries inside gin, straying from conventional London dry gins. We glance to acquainted culinary flavors to craft gins that supply familiarity with a refined up to date twist.
What initially impressed the launch of Quattro Gatti Gin, and what hole or alternative within the gin class did the model intention to handle?
The concept first took form after Angus and Simon attended a gin-making class in England and fell in love with the method. After they returned to Umbria, experimentation started as a ardour venture to create their best gin. We walked our land, gathering botanicals from the property and distilling them in a small copper nonetheless, studying by trial and error what labored and what didn’t.
Virtually as a joke, we entered our favourite expression right into a spirits competitors. To our shock, it was awarded Triple Gold. As we started to mirror on what we had created, it grew to become clear that one thing was lacking from many fashionable luxurious spirit manufacturers: a way of intimacy, presence, and sweetness in simplicity. After we realized how tangible it may very well be to scale what started as a household ardour venture, the imaginative and prescient for Quattro Gatti really got here into focus.
We additionally seen that whereas many London Dry model gins depend on juniper sourced from Italy, few acknowledge or rejoice its origin. Recognizing this disconnect, we noticed a chance to create a gin that champions Italian substances and a real sense of place, placing terroir on the middle by honoring the land and agricultural heritage from which these botanicals come.
What behind-the-scenes particulars about sourcing or distillation can be most attention-grabbing to business professionals and gin fanatics?
For business professionals and gin fanatics, probably the most compelling particulars usually lie in our hands-on method…
- All the spirit’s recipe improvement occurs on our household’s property in Umbria
- Our household’s ardour for Umbria and creating a real luxurious Italian gin utilizing native substances
- Botanicals ought to learn like a well-known dish on a menu, all sound appetizing collectively, magnificence in familiarity
- Restraint – our objective isn’t depth of taste, it’s readability and a cohesive story informed by taste
- We deal with their botanicals as particular person devices fairly than a singular loud refrain. Every botanical should play its half in concord with the others. Many fashionable gins chase novelty by unique botanicals or excessive aromatics. We focus as a substitute on place, texture, and usefulness behind the bar.
- Quattro Gatti is engineered for real-world cocktails, making a gin that isn’t solely effectively balanced by itself however enhances the traditional cocktails and presents a canvas to construct upon for extra concerned mixology.
- For Olive Grove Gin, incorporating olive oil introduced a novel technical problem. In gin distillation, taste is carried by oils extracted from botanicals; nevertheless, extreme oil content material within the closing gin can result in instability, which ends up in louching when the spirit is diluted with tonic. In depth experimentation achieved the specified mouthfeel and fragrant depth whereas sustaining readability, stability, and structural stability within the closing spirit.
When somebody tastes Quattro Gatti for the primary time, which flavors, textures, or traits are supposed to face out?
Gin Classico is flexible and timeless. It opens with shiny orange citrus high notes, transitions to floral ginestra within the mid-palette, and finishes with an extended, savory herbaceous tail. Quattro Gatti wished it to be clear sufficient for a razor-sharp martini, daring sufficient to carry its personal in a negroni, easy sufficient for a gin & tonic, or just sipped neat. In a gin & tonic, it’s greatest served with a sprig of rosemary or a slice of orange. These complement the flavour profiles discovered within the gin and elevate an in any other case easy pour to a different degree.
Olive Grove Gin is earthy, elegant, savory, and quietly advanced. On the nostril, it opens with forest flooring and rain-soaked stone. Because it breathes, floral notes emerge, like nightfall blooms or greenhouse air. The palate is spherical and structured, with a transparent line of juniper and a velvety mouthfeel from the olive oil infusion. It finishes with a mild heat and a savory depth that lingers. It’s acquainted and nostalgic in that it tastes and seems like a superbly crafted martini straight from the bottle.
The bottle design is distinctive. What does the visible identification signify, and the way does it connect with the model’s general idea?
Whereas Italy is often outlined by sunlit coastlines, Quattro Gatti appears inward to Umbria.
Landlocked and deeply agricultural, the area strikes at a slower, extra grounded tempo. Often known as Italy’s inexperienced coronary heart, Umbria carries a way of depth and restraint, expressed by earthy tones, mushy gentle, and a quiet confidence. That subtlety knowledgeable each design choice behind Quattro Gatti, from the visible identification to the packaging, making certain it mirrored the area’s understated sophistication fairly than a louder, extra anticipated model of Italy.
Which cocktails greatest showcase Quattro Gatti’s profile, and why do these serves spotlight its strengths?
A traditional Negroni with a twist for Gin Classico – there’s a nice recipe on our web site that makes use of a contact of aged balsamic. The Gin Classico shines by but retains the cocktail balanced, and the balsamic provides a classy, distinctly Italian aspect.
For Olive Grove Gin, the right cocktail is a martini. The expression’s savory, elegant really feel highlights the various layers of olive current in gin itself. Quattro Gatti’s recipe is garnished with 4 olives and 4 drops of olive oil – a becoming nod to the model.
What have been probably the most rewarding milestones or moments within the improvement of the Quattro Gatti model up to now?
The 2 that stand out are the model’s preliminary preview dinner and tasting in August at Through Cassia in Hudson, New York, and the NYC launch at Clemente Bar.
Angus and I dwell within the Hudson space, and we love the synergies between New York’s “inexperienced coronary heart” and Umbria, the inexperienced coronary heart of Italy. Quattro Gatti’s preview dinner occurred at one in every of our favourite native Italian eating places, Through Cassia, and introduced collectively our group of mates and family members which can be deeply related to the artwork, design, tradition, and culinary worlds that we love. The night time felt joyful, intimate, and really captured the spirit of Umbria that we wished to focus on with Quattro Gatti.
The model’s official launch celebration introduced that very same vibe to New York Metropolis at Eleven Madison Park’s Clemente Bar. Cultural tastemakers, mates, and household convened for an evening of energetic dialog and scrumptious Quattro Gatti cocktails created by the esteemed beverage director, Sebastian Tollius.
Each of those moments felt like the right illustration of a model that was solely the seed of an concept just a few years in the past. They captured the essence of Quattro Gatti – the model itself and the which means of the Italian phrase it’s named after.
Trying forward, what are you able to share about what’s subsequent for Quattro Gatti — new expressions, collaborations, or tasks on the horizon?
The response since Quattro Gatti’s U.S. debut has been unimaginable, and we’re targeted on deepening our model’s presence by partnerships that remember design, artwork, and Italian tradition. Extra on that entrance coming quickly!
There are additionally new, progressive expressions within the works that Quattro Gatti can’t wait to share in 2026.
Quattro Gatti continues to experiment with persistence and heritage. Drawing inspiration from positive Italian wines, a future-aged launch delivers depth and heat crafted for gradual moments, not simply cocktails.
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