Feegan's Orange Bitters Set

Audrey Saunders—a self-professed “drink nerd from Day One of my career”—was one of the first to resurrect the proper Martini, bitters and all, when she opened New York’s Pegu Club in 2005. “My goal with my Fitty-Fitty Martini was to get folks drinking both gin and vermouth again, as well as bring the dry Martini full circle and back to its roots,” she says. At the time, only Angostura, Fee Brothers and Regans’ orange bitters were available in New York City. To best match her gin and vermouth of choice, she took matters into her own hands, mixing an equal-parts blend of Regans’ and Fee Brothers’ orange bitters—a utilitarian combo that many bar programs later adopted, using the moniker “Feegans.” This new wave of interest in aromatic bitters helped spur renewed consideration for the ingredient’s role in Martinis in bars beyond Pegu Club.