Shoomaker's Saloon, a favorite bar of lobbyists and politicians, was located on Washington, DC's Rum Row. It is widely known as the birthplace of the Rickey cocktail.
In 1858, German immigrants R.H. Otto "Charlie' Hertzog and Wilhelm (William) Shoomaker opened Shoomaker's Saloon at 1331 E Street NW in Washington, DC.[1] This stretch of E Street was known as Rum Row for its abundance of drinking establishments.[2] Shoomaker's or Shoo's as it was known, was purchased by Democratic lobbyist Colonel Joseph Rickey in 1883 after the deaths of Herzog and Shoomaker.
In 1909, writer Elbert Hubbard described Shoomaker's in detail saying: Shoomaker's moved to 1311 E Street NW in 1914.
The Sheppard Act closed all saloons in the District on November 1, 1917—more than two years before national Prohibition began. It is reported that Shoomaker's closed at 10 p.m. on October 31, when they ran out of liquor. Shoomaker's reopened serving soft drinks, but was not successful. It closed in March 1918.[3]
The J.W. Marriott Hotel now stands at Shoomaker's original 1331 E Street NW location.
The Rickey cocktail is said to have been invented at Shoomaker's in the late 1800s by bartender George Williamson who named the drink after the bar's owner.[4]
In 2011, 1331 Bar and Lounge inside of the J.W. Marriott commemorated the creation of the Gin Rickey at Shoomaker's with a plaque.[5]