Born within the rolling hills of Umbria, Italy, Quattro Gatti Gin captures the spirit of Italian aperitivo tradition by means of a refined, terroir-driven strategy.
The identify (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 be taught extra concerning the story behind the model, its Umbrian roots, and the philosophy shaping its distinctive strategy to Italian gin.
What’s the story behind the identify Quattro Gatti, and the way does it replicate the model’s id?
“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 get pleasure from our gin – amongst associates 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 function in its success.
Our gin is supposed to be savored in good firm, with a selected few. When you go searching at any crowded bar or restaurant, you’ll see it all over the place. Small circles of associates laughing, connecting, and being current. Quattro Gatti aspires to be part of these moments.
Which botanicals function the inspiration of Quattro Gatti’s taste profile, and why had been these chosen as core components?
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 elements had 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, ample within the Umbria area the place Quattro Gatti was based and broadly considered the best on the planet.
Past the juniper, Angus intentionally stored the botanical choice centered, 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 should be interesting by itself, whereas additionally working in concord to create a balanced and profitable entire.
How does the model steadiness basic gin-making traditions with fashionable creativity in distillation and recipe growth?
All the spirit’s recipe growth occurs on our household’s property in Umbria. The distilling course of itself is sort of conventional, however the experimentation and growth are inventive and hands-on. We choose botanicals and herbs straight from our land, go to the native markets to supply elements, 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 goal 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. Once they returned to Umbria, experimentation started as a ardour undertaking to create their ideally suited gin. We walked our land, gathering botanicals from the property and distilling them in a small copper nonetheless, studying by means of 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 replicate on what we had created, it turned clear that one thing was lacking from many fashionable luxurious spirit manufacturers: a way of intimacy, presence, and wonder in simplicity. After we realized how tangible it might be to scale what started as a household ardour undertaking, the imaginative and prescient for Quattro Gatti really got here into focus.
We additionally observed that whereas many London Dry fashion gins depend on juniper sourced from Italy, few acknowledge or have fun its origin. Recognizing this disconnect, we noticed a chance to create a gin that champions Italian elements 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 could be most attention-grabbing to trade professionals and gin fans?
For trade professionals and gin fans, probably the most compelling particulars usually lie in our hands-on strategy…
- All the spirit’s recipe growth occurs on our household’s property in Umbria
- Our household’s ardour for Umbria and creating a real luxurious Italian gin utilizing native elements
- Botanicals ought to learn like a well-recognized dish on a menu, all sound appetizing collectively, magnificence in familiarity
- Restraint – our aim isn’t depth of taste, it’s readability and a cohesive story informed by means of 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 means of unique botanicals or excessive aromatics. We focus as an alternative on place, texture, and value behind the bar.
- Quattro Gatti is engineered for real-world cocktails, making a gin that’s not solely effectively balanced by itself however enhances the basic 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; nonetheless, extreme oil content material within the remaining 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, steadiness, and structural stability within the remaining 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 vibrant 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 finest 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 stage.
Olive Grove Gin is earthy, elegant, savory, and quietly complicated. 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 delicate 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 id characterize, and the way does it connect with the model’s total idea?
Whereas Italy is steadily outlined by sunlit coastlines, Quattro Gatti appears inward to Umbria.
Landlocked and deeply agricultural, the area strikes at a slower, extra grounded tempo. Generally known as Italy’s inexperienced coronary heart, Umbria carries a way of depth and restraint, expressed by means of earthy tones, comfortable gentle, and a quiet confidence. That subtlety knowledgeable each design resolution behind Quattro Gatti, from the visible id to the packaging, guaranteeing it mirrored the area’s understated sophistication fairly than a louder, extra anticipated model of Italy.
Which cocktails finest showcase Quattro Gatti’s profile, and why do these serves spotlight its strengths?
A basic 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 means of but retains the cocktail balanced, and the balsamic provides a complicated, distinctly Italian aspect.
For Olive Grove Gin, the proper cocktail is a martini. The expression’s savory, elegant really feel highlights the numerous 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 growth of the Quattro Gatti model to this point?
The 2 that stand out are the model’s preliminary preview dinner and tasting in August at By way of Cassia in Hudson, New York, and the NYC launch at Clemente Bar.
Angus and I stay 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 among our favourite native Italian eating places, By way of Cassia, and introduced collectively our neighborhood of associates and family members which might be deeply linked 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, associates, and household convened for an evening of vigorous dialog and scrumptious Quattro Gatti cocktails created by the esteemed beverage director, Sebastian Tollius.
Each of those moments felt like the proper illustration of a model that was solely the seed of an thought a number of 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.
Wanting forward, what are you able to share about what’s subsequent for Quattro Gatti — new expressions, collaborations, or initiatives on the horizon?
The response since Quattro Gatti’s U.S. debut has been unbelievable, and we’re centered on deepening our model’s presence by means of 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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