Chainsmoker Cat’s Feline Chaos Inspires New Official Catnip-Infused Collab
Image by James Richardson
Chainsmoker Cat is leaning fully into its feline side for a new official alcohol collaboration that uses Japan’s best-known alternative to catnip as the key ingredient.
The new “Yanineko’s Booze, Meow!” liqueur has been created with Japanese craft alcohol retailer KURAND and uses silver vine, or matatabi, alongside rice shochu and sake.
Chainsmoker Cat began as a manga by NyanNyanFactory about Yani, a catgirl whose daily life revolves around cigarettes, alcohol, laziness and generally terrible decision-making.
The series first attracted attention through posts on X before appearing in Kodansha’s Young Magazine and beginning regular serialization in 2023, with its television anime adaptation premiering in July 2026.
Alcohol is already a regular part of the series’ humor, with Yani herself established as a drinker and fellow Corpo Otani resident Al Neko taking things considerably further as a heavy drinker whose excessive habits regularly become part of the joke.
Al Neko is even known for drinking through a tube and has previously disappeared during a night out before somehow ending up in Enoshima, making this new collaboration well matched to the behavior of its cast.
Silver vine is a different plant from catnip, but produces a very similar response in cats, with both known to trigger behaviors such as rubbing, rolling and excited or euphoric reactions.
That makes silver vine an especially fitting ingredient for Chainsmoker Cat, tying the liqueur directly to the feline nature of Yani and the rest of its cast.
The drink is produced by slowly steeping silver vine berries in rice shochu to extract their flavor before blending the resulting infusion with sake.
KURAND describes the finished liqueur as having a deep, matured richness and smooth mouthfeel, beginning with sweet and spicy aromas before developing woody and floral notes and a gentle sweetness.
It contains 15% alcohol by volume and comes in a 720ml bottle, with KURAND recommending it straight, over ice, mixed with soda or combined with cider.
Suggested food pairings include dried figs, smoked cheese and grilled pork.
Each bottle also comes with an original can-shaped glass decorated with chibi artwork of the residents of Corpo Otani, including Yani, Yaku Neko, the Landlord, Hame Neko, Kansai Neko and Al Neko.
KURAND has built a reputation for craft alcohol collaborations that use ideas closely tied to the series or characters involved, which has included a Fire Force plum wine packaged with a glass that appears to ignite as it fills.
The retailer has also produced a Danganronpa red wine inspired by Monokuma and character-themed liqueurs based on Cells at Work!.
Pre-orders for “Yanineko’s Booze, Meow!” are now open through KURAND’s official Japanese online store, with orders scheduled to begin shipping in early January 2027.
The 720ml bottle and exclusive glass are sold together for ¥4,990 (approx. $32 USD / £24 GBP).
If you enjoyed this article, you can see more from us directly in your Google feed by adding us as a preferred source.
This post may contain affiliate links, and Essential Japan may earn a commission if you purchase through them.
