Puss & Mew Gin was inspired by the legend of an enterprising gin-slinger by the name of Captain Dudley Bradstreet.

Bradstreet devised the world’s first vending machine to evade new liquor laws that restricted the sale of gin during the 18th Century. This took the form of an old tomcat in a window, which later became known as the Puss & Mew.

England’s thirsty masses would walk up to the statue and say “Puss puss, do you have any gin?” Bradstreet would meow behind the statue, and a small drawer would open up in the cat’s mouth. The drinker would drop a coin, then Bradstreet would pour a shot of gin through the cat’s paw, straight into the pedestrian’s awaiting cup, inadvertently creating the world’s first vending machine.

Because Bradstreet was hidden inside the house, the Police had no authority to catch him and the legend of the Puss & Mew was born. This story of ingenuity and invention has inspired the ethos of our house-made gin.