Annual DC Rickey Competition Hosted by DC Craft Bartenders Guild

$35 for unlimited Rickey cocktails from top DC mixologists!

Established by the DC Craft Bartenders Guild, the annual Rickey Competition is one of the largest and longest-running bartending competitions in the District, challenging bartenders to reimagine the District’s native cocktail in creative ways while staying true to the idea of the original.

The Rickey, consisting of any base spirit with lime juice and sparkling mineral water or soda, is D.C.’s native cocktail, invented in 1883 at Shoomaker’s by George A. Williamson and named after Colonel Joe Rickey. In fact, D.C. is one of only two cities in the nation with its own signature cocktail (sharing that honor with New Orleans and the Sazerac, of course).