Everyone knows Skimbleshanks the Railway Cat, Gus the Theatre Cat and Grizabella the Glamour Cat, but somehow the cast of Cats, the musical, missed out on Gimlet the Distillery Cat.
Especially since we have this quote from T.S. Eliot, the poet who wrote Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, the book that formed the lyrics for the Broadway musical. Eliot himself had a cat named Noilly-Pratt and when he was asked how he wrote some of the verse drama Simon Agonistes, he answered it took three quarters of an hour after church and a bottle of gin. And, a famous quote from the esteemed poet: “There is nothing quite so stimulating as a strong dry Martini cocktail.”
So it’s only poetic correctness that Salt Lake’s own gin distillery, Beehive Distilling Company has a resident cat named Gimlet.
A little tuxedo cat (adopted from Best Friends Animal Society), she’s at home in the distillery, and as cats do, has taken full possession.
She sleeps in a whisky barrel, is unfazed by the noise of the canning machines (Beehive makes its own canned cocktails now) and as co-owner Chris Barlow says, “She owns the joint.”
Gimlet’s domain is in the back; out front is a beautiful bar, serving all kinds of drinks as well as gin, as well as cool noshes. Blessedly, there are no TVs. Instead, you can go to the back of the bar and watch Gimlet. 
Beehive Bar is located at 2245 South West Temple and is open from 4 p.m. to close, Monday through Saturday. For more information about Beehive Distilling, click here.
