The man who gave Detroit the Hummer -- an alcoholic milkshake that will rock your world -- is going to get something in return, posthumously. The city will rename Clairpointe Street from Conner to the entrance of Bayview Yacht Club in honor of Jerome Adams, who died last summer at 77. The news was reported on the Detroit Regional Yacht Racing Association's Facebook page.
Jerome Adams, longtime Bayview Yacht Club bartender (Photo: BYC video)
Adams was the head bartender at Bayview for more than 50 years, and it was there that, one night, he first put together the mixture of Kahlua, rum and vanilla ice cream that came to be known as the Hummer. The drink was so named after one of its first recipients remarked, "after a couple of these, it kinda makes you want to hum."
The drink has since spread to restaurants and clubs around the Detroit area, and even overseas; there's said to be a bar in Germany that serves them, calling them the Sir Jerome.
Adams was more just than a bartender, though. In many ways, he ruled the club's indoor activities; club officers deferred to his opinion of who should be cut off and sent home. His death last August hit club regulars hard. Greg Thomas, a former Bayview commodore, spoke to the Free Press about his friend, for Adams' obituary:
"He had dozens of positive attributes, but that was most assuredly the one that equipped him to what he was," Thomas saId. "He treated everybody so kind, made sure children stayed out of trouble and were safe. He took care of everyone's interest. He made sure the women were waited on with care and affection."
There will also be an exhibit memorializing Adams, at the Charles Wright Museum of African-American History starting In June, the DRYRA reports.
