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During World War I, Old John’s son, Bill, began a touching tradition. McSorley’s gifted a free turkey dinner and beer to all the neighborhood men who were leaving for the trenches. After the meal, the soldiers would place their wishbones on the lamp rail over the bar for good luck fighting in France. Thomas Moran said he was going to go to McSorley’s “and have a mixed ale.” I think I’ll join him. In fact, strictly considered the wishbones have nothing to do with the boys from the neighborhood offering themselves to death. I don’t know when the story started, but already in 1956 the United Press was identifying them as being from “an 1865 victory dinner,” so it’s easy to se how it might snowball from there.
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I was playing in bands now, mostly punk, and that was more interesting to me than my classes or the sorry state of the world. If I got called up, I figured—well, I don’t know what I figured. A personal history of New York’s oldest bar and its military legends. An 1865 wanted poster offering a $100,000 reward for the capture of the president’s assassin, John Wilkes Booth, hangs above the bar.
The Wartime Traditions of McSorley’s Old Ale House
The menu at McSorley's is limited, but they had quite a few fan-favorite menu items, from burgers and a fried-chicken sandwich to more traditional items like corned-beef hash and chili. Joseph Mitchell’s book (McSorley’s Wonderful Saloon) and his obituary from the New York Times, hangs beside a LIFE magazine feature story from 1943. You’ll also find a signed copy of Frank McCourt’s best-seller Angela’s Ashes (A gift from the author after his Tom Snyder television interview which took place in the Old Ale House). Many important 20th-century writers would also frequent New York’s oldest Irish bar, including Hunter S. Thompson, Gilbert Sorrentino, Christopher Morley, Paul Blackburn, and, fittingly, Brendan Behan. During World War I, McSorley’s offered all US troops a turkey dinner before deployment. It became tradition for the soldiers to leave the turkeys’ wishbones in the pub to be snapped upon their return.
Irish Names
As the name suggests, the only libation served on the premises is ale. This story was originally published in March 2023, and most recently updated on March 17, 2024. There was also a large outdoor dining area set up on the street outside, so finding a place to sit on busy days like St. Patrick's Day shouldn't be completely out of the question.
McSorley’s has been open since 1854, and managed to stay so because, at one time, it operated as a speakeasy. The iconic mugs that McSorley’s ale is served in today are a vestige of the Prohibition era when the bar would serve “near beer” (beer with little to no alcohol content) to most patrons. When they returned from the war, the remaining soldiers celebrated by going to McSorley’s, ordering a hearty smattering of light and dark beers and taking down their wishbones. E. Cummings described McSorley's as "the ale which never lets you grow old".[30] He also described the bar as "snug and evil".[30][35] McSorley's was the focus of several articles by New Yorker author Joseph Mitchell.
Since its establishment in 1854, McSorley’s sawdusted floors and tchotchke-covered walls have beckoned countless New Yorkers and visitors alike. It’s been home to presidents and poets, scallywags and scribes—and just about everyone in between. No Deliveries, you have to kick it old school and come to the pub for food and drinks.
Spending eternity at McSorley’s
The glint of the well-worn taps behind the bar, which all feature Old John McSorley’s head, helps distract the casual observer from discovering the pub’s final secret. Nestled amongst a formidable collection of bric-a-brac lie three small vessels. Each contains the earthly remains of a McSorley’s regular whose final wish was to be laid to rest amongst the sawdust and tchotchkes. Houdini good-spiritedly agreed to the challenge and let the police officer shackle him. Triumphantly, Houdini clanged the handcuffs down on the rail below the bar—locking them into place forever.
“Not a day goes by without someone coming in and starting a conversation with, ‘The last time I was in here…’” Buggy says. When he died in 1883, his chair was retired and still sits behind the bar. That is, until the city’s health department came knocking in 2011 and demanded the bones be dusted. (His daughter, Teresa Maher de la Haba is the current owner.) He felt that he could not entrust the task to anybody else.
Opened to women
Part of the charm of McSorley's, in addition to the low prices, is the lack of choice. In a city like New York, I'm accustomed to lengthy drink menus with steep prices. I actually enjoyed the lack of choice, which made ordering fast and simple. When Business Insider's Sarah Jacobs visited in 2017, the beer cost $5.50.
John and his family moved into a unit upstairs and then eventually purchased the building in 1888. Before going to McSorley's myself, I half-expected to find a rowdy group of drunk people dressed up for St. Patrick's Day and drinking overpriced beer. What I experienced couldn't have been more different than my expectations.
Despite how busy the bar was, I was pleasantly surprised by the friendly and fast service I received from the bar staff and bouncer. If you're looking for an immersive experience, you can't feel much closer to Ireland anywhere other than McSorley's. Almost every inch of the walls was adorned with old photos, newspaper clippings, pictures of Irish American presidents, and festive St. Patrick's Day decorations.
I still didn’t want one to fall in my beer, but now it wasn’t just for sanitary reasons. You will notice no stools, standing room only (three deep at times) — the original taps, no longer in use. The old ice chest, houses sodas, the only drink other than ale permissible. You’ll find no cash register at McSorley’s — there’s never been one and probably never will. A sign above states “We Trust Here” and shows a pig’s behind!
Many others have tried to mimic its old-school attitude and its no-nonsense approach, but none come close to the real deal. The bar regularly hosts war veterans, and some have left memorabilia behind. Patrons have gifted the bar two purple hearts, challenge coins, patches, and helmets from all eras. There’s a Civil War-era bayonet, shackles from Camp Sumter, an invitation to the opening of the Brooklyn Bridge, and an original print of Nat Fien’s Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph “The Babe Bows Out,” donated by Fien, a McSorley’s regular. Spending eternity at McSorley’s isn’t an option available to everyone.
Harry Houdini, the Hungarian-American escape artist and magician, was a regular at McSorley’s. To this day, a pair of his handcuffs can be seen dangling from the rafters by the front right window. Two of McSorley's mottos are "Be Good or Be Gone", and "We were here before you were born".
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