Regans’ Orange Bitters No. 6

[Chris Amirault]

That's right, I think, Erik: it's not classified as something the state alcohol regs care about at all. Either that or, well, I have a particularly friendly pal at that store.

[slkinsey]

If you can get something qualified as "non potable" it doesn't matter how much booze it has in it. Bitters are, by and large, "non potable." Gary talks about this upthread back in 2005. Amazing it's already been around for around 2.5 years, and also amazing the huge explosion in bitters that's happened during that short period of time.

[thirtyoneknots]

If you can get something qualified as "non potable" it doesn't matter how much booze it has in it.  Bitters are, by and large, "non potable."  Gary talks about this upthread back in 2005.  Amazing it's already been around for around 2.5 years, and also amazing the huge explosion in bitters that's happened during that short period of time.

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Right, it falls in the same legal category as something like Vanilla Extract, which is typically around 35% abv.

[jsmeeker]

If you can get something qualified as "non potable" it doesn't matter how much booze it has in it.  Bitters are, by and large, "non potable."  Gary talks about this upthread back in 2005.  Amazing it's already been around for around 2.5 years, and also amazing the huge explosion in bitters that's happened during that short period of time.

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Right, it falls in the same legal category as something like Vanilla Extract, which is typically around 35% abv.

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so, in that case, if a liquor store blaks at stocking it for some reason, hit up a grocery store. I know the ones around here in Dallas all carry Angostura.

[thirtyoneknots]

so, in that case, if a liquor store blaks at stocking it for some reason,  hit up a grocery store.  I know the ones around here in Dallas all carry Angostura.

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I've never seen a grocer in Texas who carries ROB but it might be worth a shot. If you're interested in pursuing the liquor store thing, might help to tell them that Republic Beverage is the distributor for Buffalo Trace products (where ROB is made). Of course if you get 3-4 or more bottles the shipping works out to be pretty reasonable so you could just order it.

-Andy

[jsmeeker]

so, in that case, if a liquor store blaks at stocking it for some reason,  hit up a grocery store.  I know the ones around here in Dallas all carry Angostura.

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I've never seen a grocer in Texas who carries ROB but it might be worth a shot. If you're interested in pursuing the liquor store thing, might help to tell them that Republic Beverage is the distributor for Buffalo Trace products (where ROB is made). Of course if you get 3-4 or more bottles the shipping works out to be pretty reasonable so you could just order it.

-Andy

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Thanks for the info

I was in my local liquor store this weekend stocking up. I picked up some Peychaud's and notcied that the Fee's Orange was all out. But they had plenty of all the other flavors. And Angustora too, of course.

I'm about half empty on my Fee's Bros. Orange. Getting some ROB would be nice. I also think I need to take/send a bottle to Ohio in November. Going there to hang out with some friends and would like to be able to make them some cocktails.

[thirtyoneknots]

Any place that carries Peychaud's, should, at least in theory, be able to carry Regans'

[Meanderer]

Having reread The Darling Buds of May, by H.E. Bates, I decided to make Syd Larkin's version of a Rolls Royce(for those of you not familiar with the book, Larkin is the patriarch of a rural English family that lives, with great enjoyment, somewhat on the margins of English society. David Jason played Larkin and a young and very fetching Catherine Zeta Jones played his eldest daughter in the British television series). This version is unlike anything in the available cocktail books I have seen but we tried it anyway. The recipe is:

2 parts vermouth(doesn't specify whether sweet or dry--we used sweet)

1 part scotch

1 part gin

dash orange bitters(we used Regan's)

There was no concensus. About half of those who tried it liked it and half didn't. I was in the latter camp. Perhaps dry vermouth would have been better.

[Marmish]

Where do Chicagoans buy their orange bitters? None to be found at my Binnys.

[ShadowedOne]

Where do Chicagoans buy their orange bitters?  None to be found at my Binnys.

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I'm not a Chicagoan but I bought mine online from kegworks.com

[brinza]

Where do Chicagoans buy their orange bitters?  None to be found at my Binnys.

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I'm not a Chicagoan but I bought mine online from kegworks.com

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That's how I got Angostura Orange, along with a few different Fee Brothers items as well. I like that site because it's the only bar supply site I've been able to find that also stocks bitters in addition to the usual tools and supplies.

[Chris Amirault]

Any place that carries Peychaud's, should, at least in theory, be able to carry Regans'

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Keep in mind that virtually any food store can carry Regan's. It ain't hooch, so it can be carried at your local grocery or gourmet food haunt.

[haresfur]

The guys at Sazerac (the company that owns Buffalo Trace) were just great to work with--really enthusiastic about the whole thing, and determined to pull it off, despite numerous problems with the ATF who kept kicking back the formula saying it was too "potable."  (In order to get approved as a bitters which, in the USA, makes it a food product despite the 45% alcohol by volume, the bitters must be deemed to be non-potable by the ATF.)

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Ok, I'm way behind the times on this but I'm trying to imagine how ATF determines if something is potable or not? I mean, what poor SOB gets the job of seeing if he can hold the stuff down???

Great product BTW.

[brinza]

The guys at Sazerac (the company that owns Buffalo Trace) were just great to work with--really enthusiastic about the whole thing, and determined to pull it off, despite numerous problems with the ATF who kept kicking back the formula saying it was too "potable."  (In order to get approved as a bitters which, in the USA, makes it a food product despite the 45% alcohol by volume, the bitters must be deemed to be non-potable by the ATF.)

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Ok, I'm way behind the times on this but I'm trying to imagine how ATF determines if something is potable or not? I mean, what poor SOB gets the job of seeing if he can hold the stuff down???

Great product BTW.

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I'm curious about that as well. What I find interesting is that Underberg Bitters is sold in gourmet food shops, is 44% alcohol, is considered potable and is intended to be drunk straight. You don't drink much you, but you can down it easily and it tastes quite good, actually. Perhaps because it's sold in such small bottles and the per-ounce price would actually make it cost-prohibitive as an imbibing liquor.