The news was broken by his wife Amy Gallagher on social media.

Born in Blackpool, England, “Gaz” emigrated to the US in the 70s where he begun bartending. Regan published his first book, The Bartender’s Bible, in 1991 and went on to produce a range of different texts.

The Joy of Mixology was one of his most famous publications and was released in 2003. Regan is credited with being a central part of the US cocktail renaissance and was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards.