The Harry’s New York Bar opened its doors in 1911 (making it most probably the oldest cocktail bar in Europe) and was then purchased in 1923 by Harry MacElhone, a mythological figure of early days bartending, who made the bar one of the most famous cocktail places in the world. Fun fact: the fourth generation of the MacElhone family still owns the bar, see here an interview with Granz-Arthur MacElhone.
Apart from the history of teh place, this is one of the few bars in the world that can have a menu section titled “Drinks invented here”, things such as the White Lady, the Bloody Mary1, or the Boulevardier. Still, what is fascinating about this bar is that, despite its history, it still is “just a great cocktail bar”, very far from being a tourist trap. You get in and you are welcomed with a smile by one of the very young waiters and bartenders, you take a seat (in a spot where maybe Hemingway used to sit), you enjoy some great drinks in a very relaxed atmosphere, if you feel like listening to music you can go downstairs for some live jazz (they say that “An American in Paris” was composed by Cole Porter right on that piano…) and if you are hungry you can have an hot dog. Full admiration for how they have been able to keep this feeling of “a normal cocktail bar” with that history .
Now, the booze. Their Martini is what you would expect from such a classic bar: very dry, cold and crispy, the kind that immediately calls for another one. Aside, I tried their Boulevardier and that was simply the best I ever had: silky, smoothy, strong. At the end of the day, they invented it here, no? Classic Martini rate: 9.
- History footnote: The Bloody Mary was invented by French bartender Fernand Petiot in 1921 at Harry’s New York Bar in Paris, with equal parts vodka and tomato juice with basic salt and pepper. When Petiot moved to the St. Regis Hotel in New York, he added lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce. So, we can safely say that it was invented in Paris and perfectioned in New York. ↩︎
