A gin shop in York has redesigned an illegal 18th century vending machine to keep its customers safe from the coronavirus.
The Puss & Mew vending machine (in the shape of a cat) first appeared on the side of a London house as a way to evade the Gin Act of 1736 (which tried stop the people drinking too much during the ‘Gin Craze’).
A drinker asked if the ‘puss’ had any gin. If it ‘mewed’, they put a coin in its mouth – and the person inside the house would pour some gin that flowed from a pipe in its paw, which went down the drinker’s throat.
The York Gin Perspex version is designed to let customers sample any of their five gins in a safe environment. The company – whose motto is ‘History in the tasting’ – says it’s legal.
A shop assistant pours the gin down a tube through a hole in the Perspex glass and into the customer’s disposable cup. This means both customers and staff can socially distance while discussing the gins.
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The original machine was attached to the outside of a London house occupied by a chancer called Dudley Bradstreet. He was evading the act that charged £50 for a licence to sell gin.
The Puss & Mew is described as the world’s first vending machine.
York Gin co-founder Emma Godivala said: “We’ve always loved the story of the Puss & Mew – gin has lots of cat legends, and our logo has a cat on it too.
“When we were trying to work out how to serve samples to customers in a safe environment, the idea of a screen and a tube appeared in a flash of inspiration – a modern-day Puss & Mew.
“The only difference is that customers don’t have to pay for a sample of gin. And what we’re doing is perfectly legal! We’re 100% sure our gin is way better too.”
The Puss & Mew has been created by York company PurePallets who have inscribed the Perspex with the York Gin cat logos and created the holes for the gin to be poured.
