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Harrowells York
Harrowells York
Harrowells York

Watch: How one York shop is staying safe – thanks to five cats and the world’s first vending machine

Chin chin! York Gin’s Jo Hird in front of the Covid-safe Puss & Mew sampling machine with Susannah Baines serving
Friday 3 July, 2020 @ 1.23 pm Business YorkMix
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Want a taste of history – with a bit of a kick?

Then head over to the York Gin shop after it reopens tomorrow (Saturday) and sample the merchandise.

When they were trying to work out a safe way to let people try out their five gins, staff hit upon the obvious answer – redesign an illegal 18th century vending machine!

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York Theatre Royal - Coppergate Woman
York Theatre Royal - Coppergate Woman
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Shaped like a cat, the Puss & Mew machine 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).

A drinker would ask 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 shop on Pavement has created its own version from Perspex. If a shopper wants to try a gin, the assistant pours it down a tube through a hole in the Perspex and into the customer’s disposable cup.

This means both customers and staff can socially distance while discussing the gins.

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Flash of inspiration

Eight out of ten cats prefer it

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.

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