One ale in two mugs is the quick way of dispensing the ever-flowing essence of McSorley’s Old Ale House, New York’s oldest saloon. Image by Tom Adkinson

NEW YORK – A professor of American history could turn a field trip to McSorley’s Old Ale House into a full-semester course, maybe even a two-semester course. After all, this sawdust-on-the-floor establishment on East 7th Street is the oldest continuously operated saloon in New York.

The front door opened in 1854 – as did the taps behind the bar – laying the foundation for its slogan of “We Were Here Before You Were Born.” It’s not fair to say it is decorated in any particular style. It’s an Irish working man’s pub with all manner of artifacts hung on the walls and dangling from the ceiling that have accumulated over 18 decades.

Abraham Lincoln, Harry Houdini, Woodie Guthrie, and millions of regular folks have patronized McSorley’s since 1854. Image by Tom Adkinson

Snippets of American history fill the pub. Abraham Lincoln quaffed a beer in the back room, and the chair he sat on was said to be behind the bar. Handcuffs that belonged to Harry Houdini are safely out of theft’s way up near the ceiling. A framed invitation to the opening of the Brooklyn Bridge is on one wall. The section of the bar where the ale taps flow was installed in 1854. Another section of the bar was built of wood from a clipper ship.

A hodge-podge of framed photographs (boxers Jack Dempsey and Gene Tunney and baseball legend Babe Ruth among them), feature stories about the pub from publications such as the New Yorker and Life Magazine, a wanted poster for John Wilkes Booth, a gold record for the J. Geils Band’s “Love Stinks” album and photos of pub-sponsored baseball teams are among the literally hundreds of items covering every square inch of wall space.

This table of elbow benders was an international crowd at McSorley’s. They were from Brazil, the U.K., and the U.S. Image by Tom Adkinson

A Smithsonian curator would go crazy trying to categorize these markers of city, political, and cultural history. That curator certainly would tell the bartender to “keep ‘em coming.”

Tending bar at McSorley’s can get hectic, but it’s never complicated. There are only two choices – dark ale or light ale – and both are brewed exclusively for McSorley’s. First-time tipplers raise their eyebrows when their first order appears. When you order an ale, you get two mugs, both a bit more than half full.

McSorley’s cheese plates are basic – cheddar, saltines, raw onions, and spicy mustard – to accompany its specialty ales. Image by Tom Adkinson

“There’s only one bartender (working at a time), and he goes as fast as he can. It’s quicker to pour two halves than to wait for the head to settle and fill one to the top. I’ve had an order come for a hundred ales. Speed is important,” one waiter said matter-of-factly.

He soon verified that the claim was believable when he passed by with a dozen half-full mugs in each hand. McSorley’s waiters have firm handshakes.

Until 1970, the only woman at McSorley’s was a reclining nude and her parrot in the artifact-packed back room. Image by Tom Adkinson

No one comes for a fancy culinary experience, but a basic pub menu of burgers, corned beef hash, chili, sandwiches, and homemade soup fits the setting. Cheese plates are popular, but beware of the mustard, which can bring a tear to a glass eye. Cheddar cheese slices, a sleeve of saltines, and slices of raw onions go well with both ales.

Another McSorley’s slogan, “Be Good or Be Gone,” decorates the wall beside photos of Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, and Martin Luther King Jr. Image by Tom Adkinson

The raw onions acknowledge a McSorley’s tradition that didn’t end until 1970 when the Supreme Court ruled it must serve women. Until then, one of its mottos was “good ale, raw onion, no ladies.”

Of course, women are welcome now, and the atmosphere always is convivial. There’s no sound system, no music, and no televisions. Instead, McSorley’s delivers a setting where tipplers line the bar (sometimes two or three rows deep), groups of strangers share tables, and the entertainment is good conversation. Some traditions from the 1850s are worth perpetuating.

Trip-planning resources: McSorleysOldAleHouse.nyc


(Travel writer Tom Adkinson’s book, 100 Things To Do in Nashville Before You Die, is available at Amazon.com.