Rickey at The Partisan. Photo by Sarah Anne Hughes.

What makes a good Rickey? “Gin, lime juice, and soda water. Just that,” says Nick Nazdin, mixologist bar manager at Bar Charley on 18th Street NW, just south of Adams Morgan. He’s not wrong. That’s exactly what the classic recipe of a Rickey is.

The Rickey, D.C.’s official cocktail, was originally created by bartender George A. Williamson in the 1880s—supposedly a suggestion from one of his regulars and the drink’s namesake, Democratic lobbyist Colonel Joe Rickey. It earned its current status when the D.C. Bartender’s Guild decided to name July the official month of the Rickey.

Originally, the drink was conceived with bourbon, but it didn’t become popular until bartenders started using gin instead nearly a decade later. Today, however, bars all over the city put their own creative spin on the simple drink. But is it still a Rickey? “So long as it’s made well with good ingredients, that’s all that matters,” Nazdin says. Ostensibly, it needs to be at least gin or bourbon-based, with something resembling a lime flavor to call it a variation on a Rickey, but the rest is fair game.

But why declare July Rickey month? “It’s such a classic summer drink,” Nazdin says, “because it’s refreshing and gives you a quick buzz.” Indeed, on a muggy summer evening, like the ones we’ve been experiencing lately, a classic Rickey proves to be as refreshing as cold glass of water, but far boozier, of course.

There’s plenty of places to get creative variations of the Rickey across the city, but are any of them any good? Nazdin says his favorites are at Hank’s on the Hill, Room 11, and Jackie’s Sidebar in Silver Spring. Below, DCist picks our favorite Rickeys and Rickey variations found in D.C. Got a favorite Rickey you don’t see on the list? Let us know in the comments.

THE PARTISAN: Let’s start with a simple one. The Partisan’s Rickey is a classic, with Beefeater gin, a squeeze of lime by hand, ice and Fever Tree club soda. It’s the last ingredient that takes The Partisan’s Rickey from average to something special. —Sarah Anne Hughes

The Partisan is located at 709 D Street NW.

Rickeys at Church and State. Photo by Sarah Anne Hughes.

CHURCH AND STATE: H Street NE’s speakeasy specializes in cocktails made with American spirits. They put a premium on quality, which really comes through in their Rickey. Lindsay Marsh was behind the bar Tuesday night and created two Rickeys for DCist with Leopold Bros. gin. (Marsh, who owns a wholesale distribution company in D.C., has close family ties to the Colorado distillery.) The first was made with Navy Strength American Gin, a 114 proof liquor with twice as much juniper as Leopold’s American Small Batch Gin, which was used in the second. Lime juice, homemade simple syrup and a splash of soda were added to create the Rickeys. The Navy Strength Rickey was perfectly smooth with a warming quality. But beware: Leaving the barstool may be an issue. —Sarah Anne Hughes

Church and State is located at 1236 H Street NE.

HANK’S OYSTER BAR Hank’s Oyster Bar near Dupont Circle features two Rickeys—a gin-based one and a rye-based one. The rye-based Rickey has an annoying name, the “Yabba Dabba Do Rickey,” but it’s taste is far from annoying. It deviates far from the original Rickey recipe—with Knob Creek rye, basil-raspberry syrup, key limes, and Anderson Valley Gose—which makes it taste more like a citrus-y punch, but, in true Rickey spirit, it’s a damn refreshing drink, if a little sweeter than your typical Rickey variation. — Matt Cohen

Hank’s Oyster Bar is located at 633 Pennsylvania Avenue SE and 1624 Q Street NW.

BAR CHARLEY: Patience is a virtue. It’s also the key to enjoying Bar Charley’s take on a classic Rickey, which features a giant block of sweet lime ice in the middle of your glass, surrounded by CO2-infused Hayman’s Old Tom Gin. Upon first sip, you’re going to get mostly gin, but be patient—as the lime ice cub melts, the drink turns into a classic and refreshing Rickey. — Matt Cohen

Bar Charley is located at 1825 18th Street NW.

Watermelon and very berry Rickeys at Wisdom. Photo by Sarah Anne Hughes.

WISDOM: Wisdom has one of the largest, if not the most comprehensive, selection of gins in D.C. Christy Goodman created a Rickey on the spot with Spring Summer Green Hat, housemade Very Berry tonic, a healthy squeeze of lime, agave and a splash of soda. The berry added a tartness to balance the sweet. For something a tad sweeter, Goodman made a Rickey with Bluecoat American Dry Gin, housemade watermelon shrub syrup, turbinado, lime and a splash of soda water. No, I’m not going to pick a favorite. —Sarah Anne Hughes

Wisdom is located at 1432 Pennsylvania Avenue SE.

FAINTING GOAT: Fainting Goat doesn’t have a specialty Rickey cocktail on their menu, but ask the bartender to make you one and he or she will whip a classic version that’s as tasty as it is refreshing. Using locally distilled Green Hat Gin, the classic recipe at Fainting Goat is a tad on the bitter side, but it has all the simple pleasures of the legendary cocktail. — Matt Cohen

Fainting Goat is located at 1330 U Street NW.

KANGAROO BOXING CLUB: I mean this in the best possible way: Leo’s Rickey at Kangaroo Boxing Club is like the PBR of Rickeys. I could seriously down these guys all night like water. Leo’s Rickey doesn’t stray too far from the classic recipe—using Leopold’s gin, simple syrup, soda water and lime—but it’s extremely refreshing and surprisingly smooth. Unlike the fancier Rickeys found in the city, KBC’s understands that, sometimes, you just want a smooth, refreshing cocktail you can down by the gallon. Ain’t nothing wrong with that. — Matt Cohen

Kangaroo Boxing Club is located at 3410 11th Street NW.

THE PASSENGER: The bartenders at The Passenger are world class year-round, but they particularly seem to have the summer drinks on lock. Take the Goodnight Moon. The current Rickey on the drink menu, which includes both the seasonal Green Hat gin and a sloe gin, is refreshing and sweet with just enough of a bite. However, your best bet when it comes to Rickeys at The Passenger is actually to ask your bartender to concoct their own. The one that Jade made a few nights ago had the winning combination of Old Raj gin, lime, soda, Cardamom bitters, Thai basil bitters, and orgeat syrup. It’s a tasty new spin on a seasonal favorite. — Valerie Paschall

The Passenger is located at 1021 7th Street NW.

Rickey at Teddy & The Bully Bar. Photo by Josh Novikoff.

TEDDY & THE BULLY BAR: The citrus in this Rickey takes the form of a key lime pie-like foam that slides down the glass and zest shaved atop the cocktail. What you don’t tongue up at the start will melt away into the drink, its lime accent along with a dehydrated lime-round garnish. While there’s a generous pour of local Green Hat Gin in Sheeny’s Rickey, the sweetness of a bourbon reduction is the more prominent flavor that may have you thinking your Rickey is sort of like a julep. — Josh Novikoff

Teddy & The Bully Bar is located at 1200 19th Street NW.

BASQUET CASE AT ROOM 11: This is it, people. The Rolls Royce of Rickeys. The crème de la crème of Rickeys. Half Moon Orchard Gin is delicately proportioned with lemon, sherry, Amère Nouvelle Bittermens, and a touch of cider to create a truly flavorful, unique take on the Rickey. It’s refreshing, but not too overwhelming with flavor, and leaves a nice, smoky and nutty aftertaste, thanks to the Amère Nouvelle. I, for one, welcome our new Rickey overlord. — Matt Cohen

Room 11 is located at 3234 11th Street NW.

FROZEN GIMLET AT EAT THE RICH: This is by far the most unique take on a Rickey I’ve encountered. Gin, fresh lime, and cane sugar are blended together with lots of ice to make this wonderfully frozen concoction. It’s a like Rickey Slurpee that’s, as you can imagine, pretty damn refreshing. Matt Cohen

Eat the Rich is located at 1839 7th Street NW.

GIN RICKEY AT TABARD INN: While Tabard Inn has numerous gin-based cocktails that could substitute for a Rickey, nothing compares to the classic formula here. They use Green Hat Gin and just the right amount of lime and soda to make what a Rickey is supposed to taste like. No bullshit, all delicious. — Matt Cohen

Tabard Inn is located at 1739 N Street NW.