The Pussyfoot cocktail was created in 1920 by Robert Vermeire at the Embassy Club in London, England.

The cocktail is named after William Eugene Johnson who was an American Prohibition advocate and law enforcement officer.

William “Pussyfoot” Johnson was also an ardent supporter of Prohibition and probably the most illustrious dry-agents working under the National Prohibition Act.

In pursuit of his campaign to outlaw intoxicating beverages, he went undercover, posing as a regular of saloons and collecting information against their owners.

He gained the nickname “Pussyfoot” due to his cat-like stealth in the pursuit of suspects in the Oklahoma Territory.

Newspapers in Muskogee, Oklahoma referred to him as “the gent with the panther tread”,  who wore rubber heels on his shoes.

The cocktail can be found in Harry McElhone’s 1923 ABC of Mixing Drinks