Gary Regan

(September 18, 1958 – November 15, 2019)

Identified by Imbibe Magazine as one of “The Top 25 Most Influential Cocktail Personalities of the Past Century”:

"With countless newspaper and magazine columns, books and newsletters to his name, Gary Regan is known the world over as one of the most-read cocktail experts around. Whether he’s lecturing at The Smithsonian, conducting workshops or maintaining the Worldwide Bartender Database, he’s helped raise the world’s mixological awareness."

Orange Bitters #6

Orange bitters were once a common ingredient in cocktails, but had fallen by the wayside by modern times. Importantly, they were once a required ingredient for the Martini. Gary, in his search for orange bitters, encountered a recipe published in "The Gentleman’s Companion: An Exotic Drinking Book", by Charles H. Baker, Jr. Using that has a starting point, he gradually worked up a recipe for personal use. He first published it in "The Book of Bourbon" as "Orange Bitters #4".

Later, he teamed up with the Sazerac Company, to try to provide his recipe commercially. It took two more formulations before they could arrive at a recipe which would work, and pass the scrutiny of the TTB (Tax & Trade Bureau). Orange Bitters #6 is now widely available from various sources.

Books

• The Bartender’s Bible (1991, reprinted 1993)
• The Book of Bourbon and Other Fine American Whiskeys (1995, with Mardee Haidin Regan)
• The Martini: A Postcard Book (1998, with Mardee Haidin Regan)
• The Bourbon Companion (1998, with Mardee Haidin Regan)
• The Martini Companion (1999, with Mardee Haidin Regan)
• New Classic Cocktails (2002, with Mardee Haidin Regan)
• The Joy of Mixology (2003, revised 2018)
• The Bartender’s GIN Compendium (2009)
• The Cocktailian Chronicles: The Professor Years, Volume 1 (2010)
• gaz regan’s annual manual for bartenders (2011, 2012, 2013)
• gaz regan’s 101 Best new Cocktails (2012, 2014 Volume III, 2015 Volume IV)
• The Negroni: A gaz regan Notion (2013)
• The Negroni: Drinking to La Dolce Vita (2015)
• Il gin compendium (Italian Translation 2015)

External Links

• Official website
• gaz/Gary Regan on FaceBook
• gaz/Gary Regan on Twitter
• gaz/Gary Regan on YouTube
• Cocktails in the Country on FaceBook
• The Gaz Regan Negroni Finger Stirrer from Cocktail Kingdom
• Gaz Regan's Letter to Young Bartenders from Tales of the Cocktail (2016)
• Gary "Gaz" Regan on Mentoring, Mindfulness and Maya Angelou from Tales of the Cocktail (2016)
• Columns on SFGate.com
• Tributes/Obituaries:
  • Official Obituary and Funeral Notice
  • Imbibe! Magazine
  • Food & Wine
  • Difford's Guide
  • Jeffrey Morgenthaler
  • The Spirits Business
  • Drinks International
  • Bourbon Blog
  • The Alcohol Professor
  • The Beverage Journal
  • NeatPour.com