During the pandemic, the Mordant family—Simon, Catriona, Brielle, and Angus—began making gin from wild juniper on their Umbria property, splitting operations between Italy, London, and upstate New York. After enrolling in a master gin-making course and refining recipes via Zoom, they entered their creation into the World Gin Awards, earning a triple-gold medal with a score of 97 out of 100. Despite initially producing only 502 bottles not intended for sale, global demand prompted them to scale up commercially, leading to Quattro Gatti becoming the official gin of the Venice Biennale.
This story matters because it highlights how longtime art patrons—Simon Mordant served as Australia's Biennale commissioner and helped redevelop its Venice pavilion—have leveraged their cultural capital and family collaboration to create a product that bridges the worlds of craft distilling and high art. The gin's rise from a pandemic hobby to an art-world staple underscores the growing intersection of lifestyle, entrepreneurship, and the art market, while also reflecting the Mordants' deep ties to the Venice Biennale and their ability to cultivate legacy beyond traditional patronage.