Drink a Gin Rickey for D.C.’s Anniversary
Photo credit: Liquor.com
The United States of America may have first declared itself a nation on July 4, 1776, but it took another 15 years for Washington, D.C. to be named its capital on July 16, 1790.
Good thing that as of 2011, the district has an official cocktail: the Rickey. So let’s mark occasion with a clink, shall we?
The Rickey’s origins snake back to the 1890s—swampy, pre-air conditioning days that had D.C. residents clamoring for relief from the stifling humidity. Among them was a lobbyist named Colonel Joe Rickey, who in the middle of a heat wave petitioned the barman at his favored watering hole, Shoemaker’s, for something cool and refreshing.
The unnamed bartender placed a mixture of lime juice and gin in front of Rickey, who downed it so quickly that Shoemaker’s decided to name the drink in his honor. Rickey went on to become one of the country’s first major lime importers, and the Rickey took on a few versions, made with various spirits.
But tonight, we’ll be making the original, with gin. Thank goodness the lime shortage is winding down.
Gin Rickey
From Liquor.com
Serves 1
1.5 oz. gin
1 lime, cut in half
Club soda
Fill a highball glass with ice and add the gin or bourbon. Juice the lime halves into the glass and drop in the juiced lime shells. Fill with club soda.
For more cocktail recipes, visit Liquor.com.
