"GaryRegan" news and stories

This is the first in an occasional column on drinks made from the legendary 1930 "Savoy Cocktail Book."

I touched a first edition of "The Savoy Cocktail Book" once in the late '80s. I was a teenager and found it on a dusty shelf at John K. King Books in downtown Detroit. I fell in love with its foil cover and colorful Art Deco designs. And then I noticed the price: $45. Too much for a sober middle school student from southeastern Michigan. I put it back. But I never quite got over that first electrifying encounter.

We all have foodie passions; one of mine happens to be old cocktail books. And so almost two decades since I fell for the "Savoy," I have finally gotten my hands on a beat-up first edition and I want to bring you Slashfoodies along for the ride.

I asked a few mixologists what should be the maiden cocktail voyage for me and Savoy. It was Gary Regan who came up with the winner: The Hanky Panky.