[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 111 (Friday, July 22, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1392-E1393]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               CELEBRATING THE REVIVAL OF ``THE RICKEY''

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                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 22, 2011

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I ask the House to join me in celebrating 
the revival of ``The Rickey,'' a cocktail of Presidents and Members of 
Congress who, in the 1880s, frequented Shoemaker's Bar, which today is 
the home of the J.W. Marriott Hotel, near the White House.
  The invention of The Rickey, made with a combination of gin or 
bourbon, half a lime, ice, and sparkling water, is attributed to 
Colonel Joe Rickey. The cocktail became well known nationally, appears 
in cocktail books, and was recently named the District of Columbia's 
native cocktail in a resolution introduced by D.C. Council member Jack 
Evans and approved by the D.C. Council.
  This week at the J.W. Marriott, D.C. residents celebrated The Rickey 
as I unveiled a plaque commemorating it as a part of the city's rich 
history. Much of the energy for the revival of The Rickey as D.C.'s 
cocktail was driven by Garrett Peck, author of ``Prohibition in 
Washington, DC: How Dry We Weren't,'' and Bob Madigan, who acted as 
emcee at the celebration.
  As Congress tries to reach a sensible compromise on the debt limit, 
we would do well to remember The Rickey, the drink dejour at a time 
when Presidents, Members of Congress, and members of the press on 
``Newspaper Row,'' as that part of 14th Street was known, drank 
together and enjoyed good relations. Let us take the spirit of The 
Rickey to heart this week and settle our debt-limit differences. Having 
a Rickey might even help.
  I ask the House to join me in commending the J.W. Marriott for their 
recognition of the political history of the city, especially to a part 
of Washington's history that will humanize politicians.

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