Orange Bitters & Gary Regan

There are two bitters that should be a staple in any bar: Angostura and Regans’ Orange Bitters No.6. There are many more bitters, but these are two staples that go especially well with the many forms of whiskey drinks.

So I was sad to hear that the creator/developer of my staple Orange Bitters No. 6, Gary Regan, passed away last month at 68. The NY Times (12/9/19) gave him a great write-up in the obituaries last Monday. What I didn’t realize was that he was a bartender, author and “maestro of mixology” as well as the developer of the Orange Bitters No. 6. He was born in England, but spent many of his younger years in NYC, both at an Upper East Side bar in Manhattan and later as manager of the North Star Pub at South Street Seaport. The Negroni (Campari & Gin) was his signature drink. He later moved to Cornwall-on-Hudson about 65 miles to the north. He died of pneumonia.

Gary Regan’s most famous book by the way is THE JOY OF MIXOLOGY.