Shoomaker’s was a Washington, DC, bar and liquor distributor opened in the aftermath of the Civil War by German immigrants Captain Robert Otto “Charley” Hertzog (1830–1881) and Major William Shoomaker (1834–1883), who had served together in the New York Infantry. It was located near the National Theatre at 1331 E Street, along a stretch known as Rum Row. Shoomaker’s is best known for being the place where the Rickey was invented, a drink named after the bar’s later owner, Colonel Joseph “Joe” K. Rickey—a Democratic lobbyist from Missouri—who bought it from William Shoomaker’s estate in 1883 and sold it three years later, retaining the real estate. See Rickey. The bar was run by August Noack (1863–1931), another German American, from the 1880s until its closing in 1917, much of that time in conjunction with head bartender George Williamson (1849–1915).
Shoomaker’s was also well known for its famous clientele, including writers, politicians, and political types, as well as the quality of its whisky and wine, prompting Judge Samuel Cowan of Texas during an investigation by the congressional agricultural committee to declare about Shoomaker’s, “I have heard that they sell whisky there of the best quality in Washington.”
The bar was located in the back of the store where Shoomaker’s distributed spirits and wine and had its own brand of rye whisky, which was commonly used in the whisky version of a Rickey. Shoomaker’s was famous for its clients and cocktails but infamous for its decor—having bawdy pictures and dusty tables—and was also affectionately known as “Shoo’s” or “Cobweb Hall,” the latter because at its first location it was never dusted of cobwebs. An added attraction was, for a time, the presence upstairs from the bar of Darden’s gambling room, known as the “boss game” of Rum Row.
On October 31, 1917, the Sheppard Act went into effect, effectively enacting Prohibition in the District. See Prohibition and Temperance in America. Shoomaker’s closed their doors at ten that evening, when they ran out of liquor, and guests are purported to have ended the night by singing the then-popular song “Over There.”
“Cobwebs and Quality Mark Shoomaker’s Wine.” Washington Times, December 30, 1906.
Faulkner, Virginia. “Last Days Before Prohibition.” Washington Post, December 10, 1933.
Hubbard, Elbert. A Little Journey to Shoomaker’s: Being an Appreciation and Eye-Opener. New York: Roycrofters, 1909.
By: Derek Brown