Jack From Brooklyn
The story of Jack from Brooklyn is the story of Jackie Summers and his ancestors, both African and Indigenous. His grandparents emigrated to New York from Barbados in the 1920s and through his family, he learned of the rich heritage of sorrel, a traditional hibiscus and spice drink with roots in West Africa and the Caribbean. Years later, after beating the odds and surviving a spinal tumor, Jackie left a 25-year career in corporate America to bring this 500-year-old tradition to market. Despite not having a background as a food chemist, he was able to create the first-ever shelf stable version of this 500-year old beverage. When Jack launched the micro-distillery JackFromBrooklyn in 2012, he was at the time, the only Black person in America with a license to make liquor. To date, he is the first known Black person to hold this license, post-prohibition.
