Undiscovered New York: Drinking History in New York’s Oldest Bars

by Jeremy Kressmann on

Welcome back to Gadling’s weekly series, Undiscovered New York. Don’t act surprised when I tell you we like our bars here in New York. Sure, you can grab some suds in just about any town in the United States, but New York boasts a culture of drinking that goes hand-in-hand with the manic highs and crushing lows of our obsessive-compulsive residents. Just take a look at some of New York’s most famous residents as proof.

Writer Dylan Thomas supposedly drank as many as 18 shots of whiskey one fateful night 1953 before meeting his maker. Beyond Thomas, New York has frequently played host to a literal “who’s who” of famous alcoholic artists, including F. Scott Fitzgerald, Truman Capote and Jackson Pollack. Tragic as their alcoholic deaths may be, their lives are inextricably linked to New York’s hard-boozing culture and legendary taverns and nightspots.

Which leads us to another question – are any of these historic watering holes still open for business? Nobody is saying 18 shots of whiskey is a good idea for anyone, but wouldn’t it be neat to throw back one or two in the same spot as Thomas? What about a bar that’s been open since the Civil War? Click below to get Gadling’s picks of New York’s best historic bars.Bar One: McSorley’s Old Ale House
When you talk about historic bars in New York City, the first name off most people’s lips is McSorley’s. Irish immigrant John McSorley first opened the doors to his legendary ale house on East 7th street in 1854. Since then the bar has played host to everyone from Abraham Lincoln to John Lennon. Females give thanks – up until 1970, McSorley’s did not permit women patrons, a policy reinforced by the bar’s slogan: “Good Ale, Raw Onions and No Ladies.” When you stop by down a few pints of McSorley’s famous ale, make sure to drink in the bar’s amazing atmosphere including sawdust-strewn floors and a huge cast-iron furnace behind the bar.

Bar Two: Chumley’s
Ah Chumley’s. Perhaps one of New York’s most famous writer bars, Chumley’s is a former speakeasy and haunt of some of New York’s most famous literary residents. An unmarked door at 86 Bedford Street hides the entrance to the preferred watering hole of such greats as William Faulkner, John Steinbeck and E.E. Cummings. Sadly, structural problems with the building forced the closure of Chumley’s in 2007. But fear not, the reconstruction is in progress – we’re all hopeful that Chumley’s will be back in business later this year.

Bar Three: White Horse Tavern
Opened in 1880, the White Horse Tavern may not be New York’s oldest bar, but it more than makes up for it with historic charm. A West Village favorite in the 50’s and 60’s, the White Horse was played host to New York’s thriving bohemian artist scene, including regulars like our friend Dylan Thomas as well as another famous Dylan (Bob) and other cool cats like Jack Kerouac and Doors frontman Jim Morrison.

Bar Four: The Ear Inn
Dating from 1817, The Ear Inn was a famous haunt for New York’s longshoremen, who passed the hours drinking pints awaiting the arrival of merchant ships on the nearby Hudson waterfront. The Ear Inn was originally owned by James Brown, aide to George Washington during the Revolutionary War. The upstairs of The Ear Inn has an interesting history as well, serving at various points as a smuggler hideaway, a brothel and also as a boarding house. Some say the ghost of “Mickey,” a former sailor still awaiting the arrival of his ship, haunts the bar’s interior. I guess when your drink disappears suddenly you now have a built in excuse.

Bar Five: Brooklyn Inn
Manhattan does not have a monopoly on historic bars, and the Brooklyn Inn is proof. The bar’s beautiful interior is adorned with hardwood and intricate tin ceilings. Believe it or not, the carved wood bar was imported piece by piece from Germany. While you take a moment to comprehend the logistics behind such a feat, don’t forget to check out the bar’s eclectic jukebox which boasts some killer tunes for the hood’s legion of music snobs.

Cocktails from around the world, and where to try them

by Jeffrey White on

Scene 1: It’s 6 a.m. on a weekday a few years ago, and I am waiting for a flight at Iceland’s main airport outside Reykjavik. I’m sitting at a bar, wiping sleep from my eyes, while those around me are drinking beer to chase shots of something clear from small glasses. I fall into conversation with a man who tells me it’s Brennivan, Iceland’s national spirit. Basically, it’s fermented potato pulp. I down a shot. It’s not unlike vodka, but not like vodka either. Maybe it’s the caraway seeds. It’s bracing, like a bath in ice water. The man pats me on the back, and orders us two more.

Scene 2: I’m in Berlin, at a cocktail bar with a few friends from out of town who I know from my days living in Prague. One orders a Pisco Sour, explaining that it’s made of a grape liqueur, brandy, lemon and egg white, and I think some milk. It looks like lemonade with a cappuccino head (pictured). As someone who avoids milk-like drinks, with or without alcohol, I reluctantly tried it. It was seriously good, almost like desert in a glass, which the most dangerous cocktails always evoke.

Both scenes are related.In a sense, in both cases I considered a country’s national beverage, or at least a beverage that originated in a particular country. But in only one was I actually drinking it at the place of origin. The Pisco Sour is the national drink of Peru, my friend having just returned from there where she had fallen in love with the drink.

Does it matter if you drink Brennivan in Iceland or Iowa? Not really, though there is the Guinness case to be made with many drinks: They taste different there versus here (though one cannot really say this about Brennivan, since you’ll only drink it in Des Moines if you bring a bottle back from Reykjavik).

It was perhaps in the spirit of linking famous cocktails and spirits with their place of origin that lead MSNBC.com recently to list where to go to get certain tipples at their best. So, go to Reykjavik for potato pulp, or Lima for the best Pisco Sour.

The list does have some surprises. Of course you know that a Cosmopolitan is best found in New York, and surely a good Irish Coffee is at home in Dublin. But what about the Bloody Mary and a Sex on the Beach? Try Paris, France, for the former — where it was invented — and Ibiza, Spain, for latter, where it competes only with Sangria for supremacy.

According to MSNBC, the best Mojito is in Miami, the best Caipirinha in Rio and — duh — the best Gin & Tonic is in London. Berlin is known for the Watermelon Man (news to me), Singapore, not surprisingly, for the Singapore Sling and Cape Town is home to the Elephant’s Ear. Head to Stockholm for pretty much any flavored Absolute you fancy.

Curious to learn what some of these drinks are? Head over to MSNBC, where you can find photos, directions for making them and specific spots to try them in your future travels.

Is Scotch the World’s Most Popular Liquor?

by Josh Lew on

Airlines are suffering, as are a majority of businesses that supply luxury goods. Scotch, however, is not among the sad faces. The BBC reports that the U.K.’s most famous beverage is enjoying a 14% increase in exports over the past year. Are people drowning their sorrows? Surely there are cheaper ways to forget your pains.

Many of the new markets for high quality scotch are in Asia. Brands like Chivas Regal are a status symbol amongst the new money of China. That puts them ahead of many other luxury brands looking to cash in on the growing middle class. But sales are even high in North America and other long time scotch buyers.

This begs the question: is scotch the world’s most popular liquor? Every region of the globe has their own brand of rotgut. But when a certain type of beverage has success like scotch has enjoyed recently, one has to wonder. In Mexico and on college campuses, Cuervo rules, but what if you take the whole world into account, it has to be scotch. Am I right, readers?

Struggling airlines close airport lounges

by Grant Martin on

Scrambling to cut costs at every corner, airlines have now turned to their airport lounges as possible ways to save money.

If you’ve ever been walking through the airport and saw a business person on a Blackberry weaving through the crowd only to duck into a room labeled “Red Carpet Club” or “Admiral’s Club”, you know what I’m talking about. Airport lounges were created as a way to award elite and first class passengers for their business, make a little money on memberships and provide haven from the oft busy airport terminals that we deal with on a daily basis. For me, they’re a lifesaver, while others only view them as an extravagance.

Unfortunately, some of them just were not making enough money to justify their existence, so many airlines are closing their underutilized or overstaffed lounges. Delta just announced that it’s closing nine of its Crown Room Clubs, while United similarly is closing four. You can check out the UA lounges being closed here, while you can find the CRC’s that are still active here.

At the very worst, those who hold memberships to either clubs that are closing may be able to use partner clubs — holders of Crown Room Club cards should be able to get into other Skyteam lounges while United members can use Star Alliance lounges.

And if those aren’t an option? Try a magazine.

[Thanks to Moody75 for the link]

Drunken British women try to open door midflight — divert plane to Germany

by Grant Martin on

It seems that every week these days another passenger is getting drunk on an aircraft and making a fool of him or her self.

This past weekend, two women returning from the hedonistic island of Kos to Manchester, England, were so drunk that they tried to open up the aircraft door to “get some fresh air”. They had apparently smuggled their own alcohol onto the flight then had been smoking in the bathroom before the incident occurred.

On being confronted with the crew, one of the women tried to strike a flight attendant with a vodka bottle.

As a result, the XL Airways flight with over two hundred passengers was forced to divert into Germany where officers were called aboard and the women were hauled off into custody. The BBC has some amateur video of the incident on there website, though it just shows a few seconds of people cheering when the women were led away.

The flight continued onto Manchester without the women, who are currently pending charges from the airline.