Jackie Summers Explained

Jackie Summers
Birth Date:22 October 1967
Occupation:CEO, Jack from Brooklyn
Known For:Sorel Liqueur
Website:https://jackiesummers.nyc/

Jackie Summers is an American microdistiller, writer and chief executive officer of Jack from Brooklyn. In 2012, he became the first Black person in the United States to be granted a license to make liquor post-Prohibition.

Early life

Summers is of Caribbean descent and is originally from Queens.[1] [2] His grandparents immigrated to the United States from Barbados in the 1920s.[3] According to Summers, "when I was growing up, there was always a pitcher of sorrel, a type of hibiscus tea, in the kitchen. After the kids were in bed, the adults would put a splash of rum in it".[4] Jackie's father was a pianist (playing with Louie Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and Billie Holiday, among others) and his mother worked as a research scientist.[5]

Career

Jack from Brooklyn

After a cancer diagnosis in 2010 resulting in the removal of a tumor near his spine, Summers resigned from his job as a publishing executive to start Jack from Brooklyn (a nickname of his) to make Sorel Liqueur, a modern version of the roselle-based Caribbean beverage.[6] [7] [8]

In 2012, he became the first Black person in the United States to be granted a license to make liquor.[9] [10] Summers' small-batch sorrel liqueur is a deep garnet color, and along with hibiscus, is also flavored with cloves, cassia, nutmeg and ginger.[11] [12] [13] After the Jack from Brooklyn distillery was damaged in Hurricane Sandy, Sorel relaunched in 2013, operating until Jack from Brooklyn paused production in 2015.[14]

In October 2021, the brand relaunched after an investment from the Uncle Nearest Venture Fund.[15] [16]

Other work

Before becoming a distiller, Summers worked in magazine publishing.[17] Summers has also written for Edible Brooklyn, Esquire, Wine Enthusiast, and Plate. In 2019, his essay "Rice is at the Intersection of Poverty" was awarded Best Food Essay by the Association of Food Journalists.[18]

In April 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, he and Daniella Veras launched a Virtual Happy Hour on Zoom that became popular.[19]

Recognition

In 2014 Brooklyn Magazine named him one of the 50 most influential people in Brooklyn food.[20] He was named to Drinks International's list of the 100 most influential people in the bar world in 2019, 2020, and 2021.[21] In 2019 he won an American Food Journalists award for Best Food Essay for his piece for Plate magazine, "Rice Is at the Overlap for Poverty and Comfort".[22] In 2021 he was named to the Imbibe 75 People to Watch list.[23] In 2022, Summers was named one of Food & Wine's Drinks Innovators of the Year.[24] His Epicurious piece "All the Food You Can Eat and Only the Family You Can Stand" was nominated for a 2022 James Beard Foundation Award.[25]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Mosley. Tonya. Tonya Mosley. August 11, 2020. People Of Color Break Barriers In White-Dominated, 'Impenetrable' Alcoholic Beverage Industry. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200811235504/https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2020/08/11/alcoholic-beverage-industry. August 11, 2020. August 25, 2020. NPR. en.
  2. Web site: Cotto. Andrew. 2021-02-04. How 'Jack from Brooklyn' became a 30-proof pioneer. 2021-07-30. Brooklyn Magazine.
  3. Web site: Jack From Brooklyn: Sorel Caribbean Liqueur. August 25, 2020. Epicurious Videos. en. September 13, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200913180758/https://www.epicurious.com/video/watch/epicuriousity-jack-from-brooklyn-sorel-caribbean-liqueur. live.
  4. Web site: Courant . CECILY MCANDREWS, Special To The . A Boozy Tour of Red Hook . courant.com . 19 August 2021.
  5. Web site: People Of Color Break Barriers In White-Dominated, 'Impenetrable' Alcoholic Beverage Industry . 2022-06-20 . www.wbur.org . en.
  6. Web site: Mosley. Tonya. Tonya Mosley. Young. Robin. Robin Young. August 11, 2020. Jazz Musician Maria Schneider; Diversity In Alcohol Industry. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200913180758/https://www.wbez.org/stories/jazz-musician-maria-schneider-diversity-in-alcohol-industry/31488f08-7f8b-4c31-81c4-e8675705f3f4. September 13, 2020. August 25, 2020. WBEZ Chicago. en.
  7. Web site: Jackie Summers – Founder, Blender . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20150508102942/http://www.barnonedrinks.com/tips/reviews/interviews/jackie-summers.html . May 8, 2015 . August 31, 2020 . www.barnonedrinks.com.
  8. Web site: Rense. Sarah. June 25, 2020. I Was the Only Black Man Making Liquor in America. Not Much Has Changed—Except Me.. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200822230723/https://www.esquire.com/food-drink/drinks/a32957916/black-owned-liquor-company-experience-jackie-summers-sorel/. August 22, 2020. August 25, 2020. Esquire. en-US.
  9. News: Cotto. Andrew. 2021-02-04. How 'Jack from Brooklyn' became a 30-proof pioneer - Brooklyn Magazine. en-US. Brooklyn Magazine. 2021-11-11.
  10. Web site: Lyons. Billy. August 10, 2019. Lessons from Cocktail Festival Inclusion Training. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20190813041602/https://fortune.com/2019/08/10/restaurants-bars-inclusion-training/. August 13, 2019. August 25, 2020. Fortune. en.
  11. Web site: June 1, 2012. Food Trends: Sorrel Is Having Its Moment. August 25, 2020. Tasting Table. en. September 13, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200913180759/https://www.tastingtable.com/top_shelf/ts/Food-Trends-Sorrel-Is-Having-Its-Moment. live.
    Web site: Clarke. Paul. February 16, 2012. New York Distilleries. August 25, 2020. Imbibe Magazine. en-US. September 4, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190904151837/http://imbibemagazine.com/new-york-distilleries/. live.
  12. Web site: Here's the Local Spirit You Should Be Sipping This Spring. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200913180823/https://www.villagevoice.com/2015/04/20/heres-the-local-spirit-you-should-be-sipping-this-spring/. September 13, 2020. August 25, 2020. www.villagevoice.com.
  13. Web site: City Scope: Brooklyn, New York –. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20190205081221/http://marketwatchmag.com/cityscope-brooklyn-may-2015/. February 5, 2019. August 25, 2020. Market Watch. en.
  14. Web site: Kinsman . Kat . 1 October 2021 . It's Jackie Summers' Time to Shine . 13 May 2022 . Food & Wine.
  15. Web site: 2021-06-28. Sorel Liqueur Relaunches This Summer. 2021-07-30. BevNET.com. en-US.
  16. Web site: Sorel liqueur relaunches with Uncle Nearest backing. 2021-07-16. en-US.
  17. Web site: December 5, 2012 . Caribbean Sunshine in a Brooklyn Bottle . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20191020232835/https://www.ediblebrooklyn.com/2012/caribbean-sunshine-in-a-brooklyn-bottle/ . October 20, 2019 . August 25, 2020 . Edible Brooklyn . en-US.
  18. Web site: Rice is at the Intersection of Poverty and Comfort . 2022-07-27 . Plate . en.
  19. Web site: Shatkin. Elina. July 23, 2020. Some Bars Are Bringing Happy Hour To You. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20200620032001/https://laist.com/latest/post/20200323/Help-LA-Restaurant-Industry-Save-Itself. June 20, 2020. August 25, 2020. LAist.
    Web site: May 21, 2020. 'You Don't Go to a Bar for the Alcohol': Seeking Community in Quarantine. August 25, 2020. Wine Enthusiast. en-US. May 30, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200530132008/https://www.winemag.com/2020/05/21/virtual-happy-hour-bars-quarantine/. live.
  20. Web site: September 10, 2014. The 50 Most Influential People in Brooklyn Food. August 25, 2020. Brooklyn Magazine. en-US. September 4, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190904191844/http://www.bkmag.com/2014/09/10/the-50-most-influential-people-in-brooklyn-food/. live.
  21. Web site: Drinks International Bar List 2021 . edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk . 21 January 2022.
  22. Web site: 2019 AFJ Awards Finalists. September 2, 2020. Association of Food Journalists. en-US. August 19, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200819073709/https://www.afjonline.com/2019afjawardswinners. live.
  23. Web site: Imbibe 75. 2021-07-30. Imbibe Magazine. en-US.
  24. Web site: March 15, 2022 . Kat . Kinsman . Drinks Innovators of the Year: Jackie Summers . 2022-05-13 . Food & Wine . en.
  25. Web site: Canavan . Hillary Dixler . 2022-03-16 . Here Are the 2022 James Beard Awards Restaurant, Chef, and Media Finalists . 2022-06-20 . Eater . en.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Jackie Summers".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.