In search of Rickey
I am now zero-for-two at ordering my favorite summer drink – the Gin Rickey. Okay, that’s not technically true that; I had one at Gibson (14th and U) a few months ago which was quite delightful.
However, I had two very similar experiences trying to get one of these at Sequoia in Georgetown (June 24) and Bar Louie at Gallery Place (July 2). Here’s what happened:
- Order the drink
- Server takes order, then comes back and asks how to make the drink. Recipe is recited.
- Server delivers what seems to be either a gin-and-tonic or a gin-gimlet-with-soda
- Recipe is reiterated, server disappears again
- Server delivers what seems to be either a gin-gimlet-with-soda or a gin-and-tonic (whichever wasn’t served earlier)
- Recipe is again reiterated
- Rickey is delivered!
And this a drink with a long DC history. It was named for Colonel Joe Rickey, an infamous lobbyist, and what is more DC than that? Only a year ago, the DC Craft Bartender Guild declared July as Rickey Month. They’re dead easy to make — three ingredients — and are on the cocktail wiki, which I somehow assumed that bartenders in DC knew about. Do bartenders not have recipe books or web access?
Or maybe I need to stop going to chain establishments, eh?
Wow that is an easy drink to make- wonder why so many people screw it up!