Join us this week as we remember the late Gaz Regan. Gaz was brought up in British pubs in the 1960s, before he made his way to the US aged 19. Over the next five decades, he became a larger-than-life pioneer of the cocktail revolution – his impact epitomised by the popularity of his iconic finger-stirred Negroni. His books, such as The Bartender’s Bible and The Joy of Mixology, have become some of the most-referenced texts of today’s cocktail renaissance.

“It took me a long time to realise why I like [stirring negronis with my finger] and I’ll tell you why. It’s because it makes people smile and I think that that is the most important thing a bartender can do; make people smile.“

Gaz Regan

Gaz was one of the first people we interviewed on Living Proof. He was generous with both his time and his wisdom, as he told us all about his career. Bartending has transformed considerably since the beer-smelling, tobacco filled dens of the 60s, and Gaz was able to take us through all the pivotal moments he’s witnessed.

Before passing away, Gaz had turned his attention to mindfulness and its importance within the crazy world of bartending. Health and well-being is an increasingly important topic within the bartending community, so it’s interesting to hear about this from the Master himself.

If the bartender has time, it’s a good idea for the bartender to make eye contact with the guest, ask them how they’re doing and wait for a response. Once you get that response and react to that response you now have a bond between the bartender and the guest. 

Gaz Regan

Full of both hilarious stories and sage advice, our time with Gaz is always worth listening to again. If you’d like to listen to Gaz’s original episode, click here.