“The Hudson Valley and Umbria are like kindred spirits,” says Quattro Gatti co-founder Brielle Mordant.
The region of Umbria, nestled between Florence and Rome, is considered the “Green Heart” of Italy. This landlocked area is known for lush rolling hills, traditional olive oil production, and an understated agricultural elegance with a creative undercurrent. “It’s maintained this very genuine, local vibe,” says Brielle Mordant, one of the founders of Quattro Gatti Gin. Brielle, alongside her husband Angus Mordant and his parents Simon and Catriona Mordant, were inspired by the region when developing their product, a terroir-focused gin brand born and made in Umbria. Originally sold in Italy, starting this summer it is now available in the US.
According to the Mordants, the Italian region is surprisingly similar to the Hudson Valley, which Brielle and Angus now call home. “The Hudson Valley and Umbria are like kindred spirits,” says Brielle. The duo moved from New York City to Germantown in 2018. “We see the Hudson Valley as the green heart of New York. I wouldn’t say off the beaten path, but there’s this creative heartbeat that you feel runs through the valley when you’re here.”
Brielle and Angus Mordant
Since childhood, Angus has spent summers at a family home in Umbria. When visiting the property during Covid, the couple realized that the best juniper—the central ingredient to gin—grows in their home region. Always interested in the process of making the spirit, Angus (who was working as a photojournalist) took a gin-making class with his dad in London. This set their production process in motion. “A lot of people are making London dry gins in Italy. So we wanted to try and create an Italian Dry Gin,” Angus says.
Together with Angus’s parents, they installed a 100-liter German copper CARL still at the Umbrian home (they affectionately call it “Carlino,” for a former grounds caretaker.) There, they began experimenting with different combinations of botanicals and ingredients from around the property. “We wanted to create something that had a distinct sense of place and was regionally driven,” Brielle notes. “We approached it from a culinary perspective: the things that grow together, taste good together.”
The Umbrian countryside
Unlike a London Gin, which is juniper-intense and lemon-heavy, Quattro Gatti’s signature gin has no lemon but rather orange with Orris root, which is like iris. This results in a nice smooth finish, and moves the spirit in the direction of a proprietary Italian gin.
“For our second expression, we wanted something that kind of turned expectations on their head,” says Brielle. For the Quattro Gatti Olive Grove Gin, they tried to marry the regional traditions with their love for cocktail culture. “We wanted to design the ultimate martini gin, but we still wanted it to feel familiar to the Italian table,” says Angus. Olive groves are all over Umbria, blanketing the landscape. To create this herbaceous and savory gin, they put olive oil in the still, along with artichoke, lemon, and thyme. “From the food science perspective, if you read that on a menu, it would sound like a familiar dish or something that you’ve eaten,” Brielle says. The beauty is in its familiarity.
For larger production, the Quattro Gatti team works with a multigenerational distillery in Northern Italy. “We chose them for their craftsmanship, traditional techniques, and ability to work in small, high-quality batches, which we oversee from start to finish to ensure every bottle meets our standards,” Brielle says.
Alongside their core gins, they are developing a series of limited-edition releases that will be distilled entirely on the property in Umbria and that will be available in small quantities for special product runs and collaborations. “All of our recipe development, botanical experimentation, and creative blending happen at our family property in Umbria,” Brielle says. “Recipe creation is a true family affair. We pick botanicals from the land or local markets, then run multiple rounds of distillation to fine-tune each blend.”
The botanical mix infusing the Quattro Gatti gin.
Quattro Gatti literally translates to “four cats,” an Italian expression for a small, close-knit group. It speaks to the social, sip-ability of the gin. “That just kind of captures the essence of our brand, like, small, meaningful moments with the people you love.” It could also refer to the family-run brand.
Not for late-night chaos, Quattro Gatti is all about intentionality; something that’s translated in the packaging and bottles themselves. “When developing our label, we were inspired by vintage Italian signage. We were looking at a lot of movie posters from the ’50s and ’60s, a lot of street signs, and even business signs.” Brielle says. “We were also inspired by old apothecary bottles, but still keeping things very simple and refined.” The labels are minimal and textural with embossed elements and silver-foiled features. Another source of inspiration was perfume packaging, alluding to the multi-sensorial experience of Quattro Gatti. “A lot of people’s first comment is about how aromatic it is,” says Angus. “They really get a sense of the gin through scent as well.”
The Umbrian countryside
American Debut
After launching the product in Italy just a year ago, Quattro Gatti Classico and Olive Grove Gin just recently became available in the US. Both styles can be purchased online, and for Hudson Valley locals interested in trying the gins, the family partnered with their favorite Italian restaurant in the area: Hudson’s Via Cassia. “I feel like I’m back in Umbria every time we’re there,” says Angus. Quattro Gatti serves as the restaurant’s house gin. Additionally, the Classico is used in the house negroni, and the Olive Grove gin will be used in the dirty martini. Currently the gins are only available to purchase online, but Quattro Gatti plans to expand to local retail in the near future.
Ahead of its American debut, Quattro Gatti had already established itself as a top-tier gin producer with the Classico claiming a Triple Gold Medal at the MicroLiquor Spirit Awards, and the Olive Grove winning gold medals at the 2025 San Francisco World Spirits Competition and 2025 World Gin Awards. Still, it seeks to do something more: evoke a feeling.
“True with our life in the Hudson Valley and our life in Umbria, is this Italian concept called il dolce far niente, which translates to the sweetness of doing nothing.” Brielle says. But that definition is somewhat misleading. It’s not necessarily about doing nothing. “It just means doing one thing with full presence and tuning into those meaningful moments.” This is how life in the Hudson Valley can mimic that in Italy, with an opportunity to slow down and notice things in different ways.
“I think the biggest luxury of all today is just being able to be completely present,” Brielle says. “So if we can convey that to our customers through our brand, then we’ve succeeded.”
