It is widely accepted that hangovers are an unpleasant ordeal. However, there can be a certain beauty in them. The torture derived the day after is a long-lasting reminder of how well the night before went. Additionally, fighting a hangover can, at times, be a fun activity. When it comes to hangovers, there are two drinks: the ones that cure hangovers and the ones that induce them. Wine can give a terrible hangover, but curing a hangover with wine is unthinkable. The pleasure of a good Bloody Mary on a Sunday is a testament to its hangover-fighting abilities, but nobody ever made an epic night out of Bloody Marys.
The Shaky Pete, served at The Rookery on Troutman Street, manages to be the rare drink that can easily be both the cause and cure of a hangover. This drink evolved from the classic British and German way of drinking beer. “It is a shandy on steroids,” said Jamie Schmitz, owner of The Rookery. A shandy, the mixture of beer with a carbonated drink, is one of the best ways to do some intense daydrinking. The steroids in Shaky Pete’s case are Bombay dry gin, and the combination of fresh lemon juice and homemade ginger syrup. Brown ale tops it all off, providing us with a shandy that is perfect for easing a hangover. And if you aren’t, it’s the perfect reason to get one, as the creator of the cocktail, Pete Jeary, said in an interview with Conde Nast traveler.
While the drink can be traced back to London and the The Hawksmoor Guildhall, Schmitz imported the recipe as a tribute to his cousin Pete, who always treats Jamie to an inordinate amount of shandies when Jamie visits London. The perfect tribute to a man whose favorite thing is a shandy. Pete has yet to visit The Rookery and enjoy his namesake, but Jamie looks forward to that day.
Enjoy The Shaky Pete to cure a hangover or to make one. During the day or at night (or a day that turns into night), The Shaky Pete is a delightful cocktail and can be most appropriately enjoyed in the ample front yard of The Rookery or in the dimly-lit bar.
Bushwick Mixer is a weekly column somewhere at the crossroads of pop culture and mixology in the bars of Bushwick. Hashtag your photos of Bushwick cocktails with #BushwickMixer and let us know why they should be tasted by the author of the column.
The Shaky Pete is served at The Rookery, 425 Troutman Street for $10.