Lime Rickey
Encyclopedia
The Rickey is a category of mixed drinks closely resembling a highball
made from a base spirit, half of a lime
squeezed and dropped in the glass, and carbonated water. Little or no sugar is added to the Rickey. Originally created with bourbon whiskey
in Washington, D.C.
at Shoomaker's bar by bartender George A. Williamson in the 1880s, purportedly in collaboration with Democratic lobbyist, Colonel Joe Rickey, it became a worldwide sensation when mixed with gin
a decade later.
Since 2008 the Rickey has enjoyed a resurgence with the rise revival of classic cocktails and a group of Washington D.C.-based bartenders, known as the DC Craft Bartenders Guild establishing July as Rickey month. It was also featured with Bourbon
by political commentator and amateur mixologist Rachel Maddow
on the Martha Stewart
show for election night, 2009.
Rickeys made with gin
(typically referred to simply as gin rickeys) are among the most favored of the varieties of the drink with alcohol included. The mojito
, which originated in Cuba, is a popular relative of the rickey, made with key lime
juice, rum
, simple syrup or muddled sugar, soda water and muddled mint
leaves.
. Some stories place the exact day as a Monday after Col. Joe Rickey celebrated his wager with a Philadelphian on the successful ascension of John G. Carlisle to Speaker of the House. Col. Joe Rickey was known as a "gentleman gambler" and placed many bets on the outcome of various political contests.
The name itself is also attributed to both Rep. William Henry Hatch and Fred Mussey who were said to be present when the drink was created and later came in asking for a "Joe Rickey drink", or "I'll have a Joe Rickey".
However, assigning credit for the name's provenance is complicated, as a June 17, 1900 edition of the Saint Paul Globe claims to have overheard Joe Rickey at the Waldorf-Astoria argue he never actually drank Rickeys, but enjoyed Bourbon, carbonated water and lemon. In the same account, Col. Joe Rickey ascribes the addition of lime to the bartenders at Shoomaker's. There are numerous other articles that describe Col. Joe Rickey's unhappiness with being ascribed authorship:
Literally around the corner on 14th Street was "Newspaper Row", where many of the national newspapers had their Washington bureaus between E and F Streets. The original Washington Post building from 1893 was on E Street, right in the center of Rum Row, as was the Munsey Building, home to The Washington Times. Newspaper and Rum Row formed a symbiotic relationship: lobbyists and politicians would drink and entertain at their favorite bars, interacting with reporters who could walk around the corner to their bureau and file a story. This system ended when Prohibition came to the District on November 1, 1917 and all saloons closed. The newspaper bureaus have long since been razed; the only reminder from Newspaper Row's glory days is the National Press Club Building.
Famous writers, politicians and political types were frequent guests at Shoomaker's, including some of the "greatest men in the country". Elbert Hubbard writes about the clientele of Shoomaker's and the convivial nature of the place:
Shoomaker's was well known for both the quality of its whiskey and wine, prompting Judge Cowan of Texas during an investigation by the Congressional Agricultural Committee to declare Shoomaker's "as the place where the best whiskey in Washington is to be had". Shoomaker's also distributed spirits and wine and had its own brand of rye whiskey, which was commonly used in the whiskey version of Rickey's.
What Shoomaker's was not known for was the décor, or rather it was by way of infamy. Shoomakers had two nicknames, "Shoo's" and "Cobweb Hall"—the latter because at its first location it was never dusted of cobwebs. The dingy look was much revered by its customers.
Shoomaker's closed in 1917 shortly after the Sheppard Act passed in Washington, D.C., causing the District to go dry prior to Prohibition
. It is reported that Shoomaker's closed at 10 P.M. on October 31, when they ran out of liquor. The guests are purported to have sung a popular song at the time, "Over There
".
Williamson was also known as the "King of Juleps" according to The Washington Post and called "...the most celebrated of [Shoomaker's bartenders]", according to a reminiscence of Joe Crowley, former president of Washington, D.C.’s Bartender’s Union prior to Prohibition.
George Rothwell Brown places Williamson as the Rickey’s inventor in his 1930 book, Washington: A Not Too Serious History. Brown suggests that an unknown stranger discussed with Williamson how drinks were prepared in the Caribbean with half of a lime, gave Williamson some limes and asked him to substitute rye whiskey for rum. The following morning Williamson was said to have made one for Col. Rickey who approved.
The joke appears in 1891 in the Omaha Daily Bee, originating from the Washington Star:
By 1907, the Gin Rickey was of such import that in an article from the Los Angeles Herald entitled "Limes are on Time" states:
However, by the 1900s some newspapers were already noting that the Scotch highball and Mamie Taylor were overtaking the popularity of the Gin Rickey.
Highball
Highball is a type of alcoholic drinkHighball may also refer to:* Highball glass, a drinking vessel* Highball Wilson , professional baseball pitcher* the British Highball bouncing bomb project from World War 2...
made from a base spirit, half of a lime
Lime (fruit)
Lime is a term referring to a number of different citrus fruits, both species and hybrids, which are typically round, green to yellow in color, 3–6 cm in diameter, and containing sour and acidic pulp. Limes are a good source of vitamin C. Limes are often used to accent the flavors of foods and...
squeezed and dropped in the glass, and carbonated water. Little or no sugar is added to the Rickey. Originally created with bourbon whiskey
Bourbon whiskey
Bourbon is a type of American whiskey – a barrel-aged distilled spirit made primarily from corn. The name of the spirit derives from its historical association with an area known as Old Bourbon, around what is now Bourbon County, Kentucky . It has been produced since the 18th century...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
at Shoomaker's bar by bartender George A. Williamson in the 1880s, purportedly in collaboration with Democratic lobbyist, Colonel Joe Rickey, it became a worldwide sensation when mixed with gin
Gin
Gin is a spirit which derives its predominant flavour from juniper berries . Although several different styles of gin have existed since its origins, it is broadly differentiated into two basic legal categories...
a decade later.
Since 2008 the Rickey has enjoyed a resurgence with the rise revival of classic cocktails and a group of Washington D.C.-based bartenders, known as the DC Craft Bartenders Guild establishing July as Rickey month. It was also featured with Bourbon
Bourbon whiskey
Bourbon is a type of American whiskey – a barrel-aged distilled spirit made primarily from corn. The name of the spirit derives from its historical association with an area known as Old Bourbon, around what is now Bourbon County, Kentucky . It has been produced since the 18th century...
by political commentator and amateur mixologist Rachel Maddow
Rachel Maddow
Rachel Anne Maddow is an American television host and political commentator. Maddow hosts a nightly television show, The Rachel Maddow Show, on MSNBC. Her syndicated talk radio program, The Rachel Maddow Show, aired on Air America Radio...
on the Martha Stewart
Martha Stewart
Martha Stewart is an American business magnate, author, magazine publisher, and television personality. As founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, she has gained success through a variety of business ventures, encompassing publishing, broadcasting, and merchandising...
show for election night, 2009.
Rickeys made with gin
Gin
Gin is a spirit which derives its predominant flavour from juniper berries . Although several different styles of gin have existed since its origins, it is broadly differentiated into two basic legal categories...
(typically referred to simply as gin rickeys) are among the most favored of the varieties of the drink with alcohol included. The mojito
Mojito
Mojito is a traditional Cuban highball.Traditionally, a Mojito is not very strong and made of five ingredients: white rum, sugar , lime juice, sparkling water and mint. The original Cuban recipe uses spearmint or yerba buena, a mint variety very popular on the island...
, which originated in Cuba, is a popular relative of the rickey, made with key lime
Key lime
The Key lime is a citrus species with a globose fruit, 2.5–5 cm in diameter , that is yellow when ripe but usually picked green commercially. It is smaller, seedier, has a higher acidity, a stronger aroma, and a thinner rind than that of the Persian lime...
juice, rum
Rum
Rum is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from sugarcane by-products such as molasses, or directly from sugarcane juice, by a process of fermentation and distillation. The distillate, a clear liquid, is then usually aged in oak barrels...
, simple syrup or muddled sugar, soda water and muddled mint
Mentha
Mentha is a genus of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae . The species are not clearly distinct and estimates of the number of species varies from 13 to 18. Hybridization between some of the species occurs naturally...
leaves.
Col. Joe Rickey's Invention?
In 1883, Colonel Joe Rickey was purported to have invented the "Joe Rickey", after a bartender at Shoomaker's in Washington, D.C. added a lime to his "mornin's morning", a daily dose of Bourbon with lump ice and Apollinaris sparkling mineral waterApollinaris (water)
Apollinaris is a German naturally sparkling mineral water, very well known in German-speaking countries as "The Queen of Table Waters".The spring was discovered by chance in 1852 in Georg Kreuzberg’s vineyard, in Bad Neuenahr, Germany...
. Some stories place the exact day as a Monday after Col. Joe Rickey celebrated his wager with a Philadelphian on the successful ascension of John G. Carlisle to Speaker of the House. Col. Joe Rickey was known as a "gentleman gambler" and placed many bets on the outcome of various political contests.
The name itself is also attributed to both Rep. William Henry Hatch and Fred Mussey who were said to be present when the drink was created and later came in asking for a "Joe Rickey drink", or "I'll have a Joe Rickey".
However, assigning credit for the name's provenance is complicated, as a June 17, 1900 edition of the Saint Paul Globe claims to have overheard Joe Rickey at the Waldorf-Astoria argue he never actually drank Rickeys, but enjoyed Bourbon, carbonated water and lemon. In the same account, Col. Joe Rickey ascribes the addition of lime to the bartenders at Shoomaker's. There are numerous other articles that describe Col. Joe Rickey's unhappiness with being ascribed authorship:
Some people are born to fame; others achieve it, while celebrity is thrust upon a few. Among the latter is Col. Joe Rickey, of Missouri. But instead of feeling proud of the fact that he has given his name to a popular tipple Col. Rickey feels very much aggrieved. "Only a few years ago", he said recently, "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. There is one consolation in the fact that there are fashions in drinks. The present popularity of the Scotch high ball may possibly lose me my reputation and restore me my former fame. 'Tis a consummation devoutly to be wished for".
Shoomaker's, a Famous Resort
Shoomaker's was a well-known "resort", or bar, opened in 1858 by Captain Robert Otto "Charley" Hertzog and Major William Shoomaker and located at 1331 E Street near the National Theatre. Both men were German immigrants, had served as officers in the Union Army in the Civil War, and had their names anglicized. After the two men died, Colonel Joseph Rickey, a Democratic lobbyist from Missouri, bought Shoomaker's in 1883. The bar later moved in 1914 to 1311 E Street (the Library of Congress has a 1916 photo of this location in its online archive). The stretch of E street between the Willard Hotel and 13th street was known as "Rum Row".Literally around the corner on 14th Street was "Newspaper Row", where many of the national newspapers had their Washington bureaus between E and F Streets. The original Washington Post building from 1893 was on E Street, right in the center of Rum Row, as was the Munsey Building, home to The Washington Times. Newspaper and Rum Row formed a symbiotic relationship: lobbyists and politicians would drink and entertain at their favorite bars, interacting with reporters who could walk around the corner to their bureau and file a story. This system ended when Prohibition came to the District on November 1, 1917 and all saloons closed. The newspaper bureaus have long since been razed; the only reminder from Newspaper Row's glory days is the National Press Club Building.
Famous writers, politicians and political types were frequent guests at Shoomaker's, including some of the "greatest men in the country". Elbert Hubbard writes about the clientele of Shoomaker's and the convivial nature of the place:
The men who come here mostly live in palaces. They are rich and powerful. They bear big burdens. Here they relax and are free from the vigils of butler, wife, daughters or decent neighbors. It is democracy carried to the limit. [...] Here men get freedom from the tyranny of things. Nothing matters. The bartenders are your neighbors, the proprietor your long-familiar friend, the patrons your partners.
Shoomaker's was well known for both the quality of its whiskey and wine, prompting Judge Cowan of Texas during an investigation by the Congressional Agricultural Committee to declare Shoomaker's "as the place where the best whiskey in Washington is to be had". Shoomaker's also distributed spirits and wine and had its own brand of rye whiskey, which was commonly used in the whiskey version of Rickey's.
What Shoomaker's was not known for was the décor, or rather it was by way of infamy. Shoomakers had two nicknames, "Shoo's" and "Cobweb Hall"—the latter because at its first location it was never dusted of cobwebs. The dingy look was much revered by its customers.
Shoomaker's closed in 1917 shortly after the Sheppard Act passed in Washington, D.C., causing the District to go dry prior to Prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
. It is reported that Shoomaker's closed at 10 P.M. on October 31, when they ran out of liquor. The guests are purported to have sung a popular song at the time, "Over There
Over There
"Over There" is a 1917 song popular with United States soldiers in both world wars.It was written by George M. Cohan during World War I. Notable early recordings include versions by Nora Bayes, Enrico Caruso, Billy Murray, and Charles King....
".
George A. Williamson
Col. Joe Rickey was a shareholder in Shoomaker's and later purchased it outright when Major Shoomaker passed away in 1883. He installed Augustus "Gus" Noack and George A. Williamson as its president and secretary, respectively. George Williamson was also a bartender and much revered for his convivial nature and political astuteness. A 1915 obituary in the Washington Evening Star claims that, "Many a great question of national politics has been thrashed out, if not settled, in [Williamson's] presence and himself participating in the discussion."Williamson was also known as the "King of Juleps" according to The Washington Post and called "...the most celebrated of [Shoomaker's bartenders]", according to a reminiscence of Joe Crowley, former president of Washington, D.C.’s Bartender’s Union prior to Prohibition.
George Rothwell Brown places Williamson as the Rickey’s inventor in his 1930 book, Washington: A Not Too Serious History. Brown suggests that an unknown stranger discussed with Williamson how drinks were prepared in the Caribbean with half of a lime, gave Williamson some limes and asked him to substitute rye whiskey for rum. The following morning Williamson was said to have made one for Col. Rickey who approved.
The Gin Rickey
By the 1890s the Gin Rickey had supplanted the early Bourbon version now known as the "Joe Rickey". George Rothwell Brown ascribes the creation of the Gin Rickey to the Chicago exposition of 1893 where the jinricksha, or rickshaw, was introduced from Japan. It became a joke among travelers.The joke appears in 1891 in the Omaha Daily Bee, originating from the Washington Star:
- The first thing a toper asks for in Japan is a gin-ricksha.
By 1907, the Gin Rickey was of such import that in an article from the Los Angeles Herald entitled "Limes are on Time" states:
- Now let the warm weather come and let the siphons hiss, because the limes are here ready for the gin rickeys. Three hundred cases of rickeys, or to be more explicit, 2,000,000 junior lemons— for, to be sure, they lacked the carbonic water and gin — arrived today from the West Indies on the steamship Pretoria.
However, by the 1900s some newspapers were already noting that the Scotch highball and Mamie Taylor were overtaking the popularity of the Gin Rickey.