We Win!... almost
By Dave
Well, Gina from PS7 won, and deservingly so, but I took second after making the finals of the DC Craft Bartenders Guild Ricky Competition for the second year in a row.
The event at the Lovely Jack Rose down the street was a lot of fun. Be sure to check out Rickey monthy around town next year.Thanks everyone for all the support and Bill for a great 2nd price prize - a very rare bottle of bourbon.
So, what is a Rickey? It is a highball of a base spirit, half of a lime squeezed and dropped in the glass, and carbonated water, with no or little sugar. It will be recognized as DC’s native cocktail by Councilmember Jack Evans and Congresswomen Eleanor Holmes Norton in a ceremony on July 17th. It was originally made with bourbon, purportedly for the lobbyist and gentleman gambler, Colonel Joe Rickey, by George A. Williamson, a bartender at Shoemaker’s, in 1883. The drink became the most popular of its time (a majority of the limes in the country were used for the drink) when gin began to be popularly used as the base spirit.
Old Joe wasn’t too excited about the development. “Only a few years ago I was Col. Rickey, of Missouri, the friend of senators, judges and statesmen and something of an authority on political matters and political movements... But am I ever spoken of for those reasons? I fear not. No, I am known to fame as the author of the 'Rickey', and I have to be satisfied with that.” -- "Not Proud of His Honors", The Wellsboro Gazette, July 26, 1901.
Well, sorry, Joe. We love the drink and the story behind it. For the Summer Lovin’ Rickey. Hendrick’s gin and Woodford Reserve bourbon are infused with vanilla and orchid scented and smoked teas to accentuate the rose in the Hendricks and the smoke and vanilla notes of the Woodford. A touch of Victory Summer Love ale, which is made with tons of floral, whole flower hops, is added to again accentuate the rose in the gin and match the astringency of the tea. Clementine juice reinforce the citrus and rounds out the drink.
It’s complex and little odd, but refreshing on a DC summer day, which was the original intent. Joe would probably hate this drink, but I hope that he’d be pleased to know that we’re still talking about him. Even if it is because of that damn Rickey.