Jim Hewes | |
|---|---|
 Jim Hewes working at Round Robin Bar | |
| Citizenship | United States of America |
| Occupation | Bartender |
| Employer | Willard InterContinental Washington |
| Known for | Longest serving bartender at the historic Round Robin Bar |
Jim Hewes is an American bartender and cocktail historian who has worked at the Willard InterContinental Washington's Round Robin Bar for over 30 years, making him the longest serving bartender in Round Robin's over 180-year old history. [1]
Never let the truth get in the way of a good story. - Jim Hewes [1]
Hewes has a background in history and education. [2] Prior to working at the Willard, where he started in 1986 upon the hotel's reopening, he worked at the Buxton Inn in Ohio. [3]
Hewes has served drinks to numerous United States presidents, including Ronald Reagan, George Bush and George W. Bush, and Gerald Ford. [2] He never served a sitting president, but only presidents before they entered or after they left office. Hewes' favorite president to serve was Ford, who he called "very down to earth and funny." He served Ford prior to entering the presidential office and prior to Ford becoming sober in support of his wife, Betty Ford. Gerald Ford used to drink Scotch or Budweiser. [4]
Other famous people Hewes has poured drinks for include Pelé, George Clooney, Harry Connick, Jr. and Johnny Depp. [3] [5] [4] In 1987, Hewes witnessed the dancer and choreographer Bob Fosse have a fatal heart attack outside of the Round Robin. [6]
Hewes offers history programs at the Willard about craft cocktails, prohibition and other related subjects, specifically historical subjects pertaining to Washington. [7] A collector of Washington and cocktail history ephemera, Hewes owns a Mint Julep recipe handwritten by Henry Clay. [3]
Hewes oversees the bar's cocktail program, which includes creating new thematic cocktails and reintroducing classic cocktails. He aims to create cocktails that guests can make easily at home. [1] Hewes makes classic cocktails that reflect history and the cocktail's original recipe. He opposes the use of what he calls "secret ingredients" to craft cocktails. In a 2016 interview with Vice Hewes shared that "the key to a correct cocktail is the final taste." [4]
His favorite drinks to make include the Old Fashioned, Sidecar, and Mint Julep, the latter which Henry Clay introduced to the bar. It remains the Round Robin's signature drink. [1]
During the holidays, Hewes offers thematic cocktails, which have included hot spiced cider, hot buttered rum, and a Jingle Bell Julep, a variation on a mint julep with red and green spirits used to symbolize the holiday season. Other cocktails he has created for the holidays include the Poinsettia, which comprises Champagne, framboise and cranberry. [5]
In 2013, Hewes created a cocktail program by creating a cocktail for all 44 presidents, based on cocktails that presidents have historically consumed or that are thematic to a president's life. Presidential beverages include Madeira wine, which George Washington used to drink, hot buttered rum in honor of John Quincy Adams, and a twist on the Blue Hawaii, which uses tequila rather than rum, as a tribute to Barack Obama, which honors Obama's life in Hawaii. [2] He introduces the menu, for a limited time only, during every presidential inauguration season. [8]
Hewes has lived in Washington DC since 1977. He is an avid book collector. [3]
Rum and Coke, or the Cuba libre, is a highball cocktail consisting of cola, rum, and in many recipes lime juice, on ice. Traditionally, the cola ingredient is Coca-Cola ("Coke") and the alcohol is a light rum such as Bacardi; however, the drink may be made with various types of rums and cola brands, and lime juice may or may not be included.
A Manhattan is a cocktail made with whiskey, sweet vermouth, and bitters. While rye is the traditional whiskey of choice, other commonly used whiskies include Canadian whisky, bourbon, blended whiskey, and Tennessee whiskey. The cocktail is usually stirred with ice then strained into a chilled cocktail glass and garnished traditionally with a maraschino cherry. A Manhattan may also be served on the rocks in a lowball glass.
Mojito is a traditional Cuban punch. The cocktail often consists of five ingredients: white rum, sugar, lime juice, soda water, and mint. Its combination of sweetness, citrus, and herbaceous mint flavors is intended to complement the rum, and has made the mojito a popular summer drink.
The Piña Colada is a cocktail made with rum, cream of coconut, and pineapple juice, usually served either blended or shaken with ice. It may be garnished with either a pineapple wedge, maraschino cherry, or both. The drink originated in Puerto Rico.
The daiquiri is a cocktail whose main ingredients are rum, citrus juice, and sugar or other sweetener.
The term punch refers to a wide assortment of drinks, both non-alcoholic and alcoholic, generally containing fruits or fruit juice. The drink was introduced from the Indian subcontinent to England by employees of the East India Company in the late 17th century. Punch is usually served at parties in large, wide bowls, known as punch bowls.
Mint julep is an alcoholic cocktail, consisting primarily of bourbon, sugar, water, crushed or shaved ice, and fresh mint. As a bourbon-based cocktail, it is associated with the American South and the cuisine of the Southern United States in general, in particular as a symbol of the Kentucky Derby.
The rickey is a highball made from gin or bourbon, lime juice, and carbonated water. Little or no sugar is added to the rickey. It was created with bourbon in Washington, D.C., at Shoomaker's bar by bartender George A. Williamson in the 1880s, purportedly in collaboration with Democratic lobbyist Colonel Joe Rickey. Its popularity increased when made with gin a decade later.
A "fizz" is a mixed drink variation on the older sours family of cocktail. Its defining features are an acidic juice and carbonated water. It typically includes gin or rum as its alcoholic ingredient.
A dark 'n' stormy is a highball cocktail made with dark rum and ginger beer served over ice and garnished with a slice of lime. Lime juice and simple syrup are also frequently added. This drink is very similar to the Moscow mule except that the Dark 'n' Stormy has dark rum instead of vodka. The original Dark 'n' Stormy was made with Gosling Black Seal rum and Barritt's Ginger Beer, but after the partnership between the two failed and the companies parted ways, Gosling Brothers created its own ginger beer.
Harry K. Yee was an American bartender from Honolulu, Hawaii, who was credited with having helped to spread tiki culture during the mid-twentieth century, both in Hawaii and in the continental United States. He invented the Blue Hawaii cocktail, and is attributed with being the first bartender to use paper parasols and vanda orchids in tiki drinks.
A rum swizzle is a rum-based cocktail often called "Bermuda's national drink". The Royal Gazette has referred to it as "the legendary Rum swizzle...perfect for sharing and irresistible to locals and tourists alike". In addition to providing the "swizzle" portion of the 1933 swizzle stick product name, it has been said that this potent cocktail is "as much a part of Bermuda Island culture and cuisine as is the Bermuda onion, the vibrant hibiscus, or the graceful Bermuda Longtail."
The Cojito is a sweet cocktail made with lime and mint, and typically rum and coconut. It is a variant of the mojito, but typically adds coconut flavor. This can be done by adding coconut milk or coconut-flavored liqueurs, or by using coconut-flavored rum such as Blue Chair Bay, Cruzan coconut, or Malibu. Coconut on the rim of the cocktail glass may also be used. The use of coconut rum gives the Cojito a more "tropical" taste than the mojito. The strong minty taste may lead some to adjust downward the quantity of fresh mint leaves used.
Hot buttered rum is a mixed drink containing rum, butter, hot water or cider, a sweetener, and various spices. It is especially popular in the fall and winter and is traditionally associated with the holiday season. In the United States, the drink has a lengthy history that dates back to colonial days. During that time many families had their own individual recipes, and early Americans believed rum to be nutritious and a strengthener of the body.
A Signature drink is any unique or original drink that expresses the nature of the person or establishment creating it.
Chris McMillian is a New Orleans bartender and a co-founder of the Museum of the American Cocktail. Imbibe Magazine mentioned McMillian as one of the top 25 most influential cocktail personalities of the last century.
Tom Bullock (1872–1964) was an American bartender in the pre-Prohibition era. He was an African-American person.
The Queen's Park Swizzle is a classic rum cocktail that originated in Trinidad.