Jackie Summers

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Jackie Summers
Jackie Summers.jpg
Born (1967-10-22) October 22, 1967 (age 57)
Occupation(s)CEO, Jack from Brooklyn
Known forSorel 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.

Contents

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, [6] 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. [7] [8] [9]

In 2012, he became the first Black person in the United States to be granted a license to make liquor. [10] [1] [11] Summers' small-batch sorrel liqueur is a deep garnet color, and along with hibiscus, is also flavored with cloves, cassia, nutmeg and ginger. [12] [13] [14] After the Jack from Brooklyn distillery was damaged in Hurricane Sandy, Sorel relaunched in 2013, operating until Jack from Brooklyn paused production in 2015. [6]

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. [9] In 2019, his essay "Rice is at the Intersection of Poverty" was awarded Best Food Essay by the Association of Food Journalists. [18] [6]

In April 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, he and Daniella Veras launched a Virtual Happy Hour on Zoom that became popular. [17] [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. [2] [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]

References

  1. 1 2 Mosley, Tonya (August 11, 2020). "People Of Color Break Barriers In White-Dominated, 'Impenetrable' Alcoholic Beverage Industry". NPR . Archived from the original on August 11, 2020. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  2. 1 2 Cotto, Andrew (February 4, 2021). "How 'Jack from Brooklyn' became a 30-proof pioneer". Brooklyn Magazine. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  3. ↑ "Jack From Brooklyn: Sorel Caribbean Liqueur". Epicurious Videos. Archived from the original on September 13, 2020. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  4. ↑ Courant, CECILY MCANDREWS, Special To The. "A Boozy Tour of Red Hook". courant.com. Retrieved August 19, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. ↑ "People Of Color Break Barriers In White-Dominated, 'Impenetrable' Alcoholic Beverage Industry". www.wbur.org. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
  6. 1 2 3 Kinsman, Kat (October 1, 2021). "It's Jackie Summers' Time to Shine". Food & Wine. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
  7. ↑ Mosley, Tonya; Young, Robin (August 11, 2020). "Jazz Musician Maria Schneider; Diversity In Alcohol Industry". WBEZ Chicago. Archived from the original on September 13, 2020. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  8. ↑ "Jackie Summers – Founder, Blender". www.barnonedrinks.com. Archived from the original on May 8, 2015. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
  9. 1 2 Rense, Sarah (June 25, 2020). "I Was the Only Black Man Making Liquor in America. Not Much Has Changed—Except Me". Esquire . Archived from the original on August 22, 2020. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  10. ↑ Cotto, Andrew (February 4, 2021). "How 'Jack from Brooklyn' became a 30-proof pioneer - Brooklyn Magazine". Brooklyn Magazine . Retrieved November 11, 2021.
  11. ↑ Lyons, Billy (August 10, 2019). "Lessons from Cocktail Festival Inclusion Training". Fortune . Archived from the original on August 13, 2019. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  12. ↑ "Food Trends: Sorrel Is Having Its Moment". Tasting Table. June 1, 2012. Archived from the original on September 13, 2020. Retrieved August 25, 2020.; Clarke, Paul (February 16, 2012). "New York Distilleries". Imbibe Magazine. Archived from the original on September 4, 2019. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  13. ↑ "Here's the Local Spirit You Should Be Sipping This Spring". www.villagevoice.com. Archived from the original on September 13, 2020. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  14. ↑ "City Scope: Brooklyn, New York –". Market Watch. Archived from the original on February 5, 2019. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  15. ↑ "Sorel Liqueur Relaunches This Summer". BevNET.com. June 28, 2021. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  16. ↑ "Sorel liqueur relaunches with Uncle Nearest backing" . Retrieved July 16, 2021.
  17. 1 2 "Caribbean Sunshine in a Brooklyn Bottle". Edible Brooklyn. December 5, 2012. Archived from the original on October 20, 2019. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  18. ↑ "Rice is at the Intersection of Poverty and Comfort". Plate. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
  19. ↑ Shatkin, Elina (July 23, 2020). "Some Bars Are Bringing Happy Hour To You". LAist. Archived from the original on June 20, 2020. Retrieved August 25, 2020.; "'You Don't Go to a Bar for the Alcohol': Seeking Community in Quarantine". Wine Enthusiast. May 21, 2020. Archived from the original on May 30, 2020. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  20. ↑ "The 50 Most Influential People in Brooklyn Food". Brooklyn Magazine. September 10, 2014. Archived from the original on September 4, 2019. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  21. ↑ "Drinks International Bar List 2021". edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  22. ↑ "2019 AFJ Awards Finalists". Association of Food Journalists. Archived from the original on August 19, 2020. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  23. ↑ "Imbibe 75". Imbibe Magazine. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  24. ↑ Kinsman, Kat (March 15, 2022). "Drinks Innovators of the Year: Jackie Summers". Food & Wine. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
  25. ↑ Canavan, Hillary Dixler (March 16, 2022). "Here Are the 2022 James Beard Awards Restaurant, Chef, and Media Finalists". Eater. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
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