“Be Good or Be Gone”
“Good ale, raw onions, and no ladies”
“We were here before you were born”
Established in 1854, McSorley’s Old Ale House claims the title of the oldest continuously operated saloon in New York. Nearly everything remains as it once was: the furniture, the bar, the old stove, the walls adorned with memorabilia, and the thick smell of sawdust. It was once said that for many mental disturbances, the atmosphere in McSorley’s was more therapeutic than psychoanalysis.
The tavern feels frozen in time. From its founding until 1940, McSorley’s had only four owners, all four fiercely devoted to tradition and vehemently opposed to change.
McSorley’s founding: Old John
John McSorley, the Irish immigrant who founded the tavern, made it look and feel exactly like the place he frequented in the old country.
Old John spent the whole day in the tavern and closed it when he felt like it. Every night for dinner, he grilled himself a three-pound steak in the back-room fireplace. He liked his onions strong and ate them whole. His motto was, “Good ale, raw onions, and no ladies.”
John believed it impossible for men to drink in tranquility in the presence of women. His strict “no ladies” policy endured under all circumstances—even natural disasters—until 1970, when it was overturned in court. Though the ruling mandated the admission of women, it took another 15 years for McSorley’s to install a ladies’ restroom.
John had a passion for collecting memorabilia, which he proudly displayed on the walls. However, the most touching artifacts in McSorley’s are the dusty wishbones dangling above the bar. It was a tradition for young men heading off to World War I to hang a turkey bone from their last meal at the tavern, intending to remove it upon their return. The wishbones that remain are silent tributes to those who never came back.
Old Bill and other McSorley’s owners
John’s son, Old Bill, inherited the tavern and preserved every piece of his father’s memorabilia, nailing it to the walls to ensure it would never be moved. With no children of his own, Old Bill passed the tavern to a policeman who was a regular patron. The policeman later bequeathed it to his daughter, who honored tradition by never entering the bar during business hours.
McSorley’s famous visitors
McSorley’s history is intertwined with many notable figures. After delivering his famous Cooper Union speech in 1860, Abraham Lincoln reportedly stopped by for a drink. Peter Cooper, the founder of Cooper Union, was a regular. Other famous patrons include Boss Tweed, Woody Guthrie, Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Babe Ruth, John Lennon, Teddy Roosevelt, Harry Houdini, and e e cummings, who immortalized the tavern in his poem, I Was Sitting in McSorley’s.
Today, patrons can still enjoy a $5 bowl of chili or a $6 hearty sandwich. It’s still cash only. True to established tradition, McSorley’s serves ONLY its house ale. When ordering, you’ll have only one choice: dark or light.
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