Harry's New York Bar
Harry's New York Bar is a well-known bar in Paris, France.
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[edit] History
Located at 5, Rue Daunou, between the Avenue de l'Opéra and the Rue de la Paix in Paris, France, the bar was acquired by former American star jockey Tod Sloan in 1911, who converted it from a bistro and renamed it the "New York Bar." Sloan had gone partners with a New Yorker named Clancy (no one seems to know his first name) who owned a bar in Manhattan. That bar was dismantled and shipped to Paris. Sloan then hired Harry MacElhone, a barman from Dundee, Scotland, to run the place.[1] At the time, American tourists and members of the artistic and literary communities were beginning to show up in Paris in ever-increasing numbers and Sloan hoped to capitalize on his fame and make the place a spot where expatriates would feel at home. His bar did become a popular spot for members of the American Field Service Ambulance Corps during World War I. However, financial problems from Sloan's overspending on a lavish personal lifestyle forced him to sell the bar, and in 1923 it was acquired by MacElhone, its former barman, who added his name to the bar, and who would be responsible for making it into a legendary Parisian landmark.
[edit] Clientele
Over the years, Harry's New York Bar was frequented by a number of famous American expatriates and international celebrities such as Prince Serge Obolensky, Knute Rockne, Sinclair Lewis, Ernest Hemingway, Bill Tilden, Coco Chanel, Jack Dempsey, Primo Carnera, Ramon Novarro, Matthew DeCoste, Aly Khan, Rita Hayworth, Humphrey Bogart, and even the Duke of Windsor occasionally showed up.
[edit] Other notable details
- The "Ivories" Piano Bar at Harry's is where George Gershwin composed An American in Paris.
- Harry's New York Bar is the birthplace of classic cocktails such as the Bloody Mary, French 75, Side Car and The Monkey Gland.[2]
[edit] References
- ^ Sturges, Preston. - p. 195, Preston Sturges by Preston Sturges: His Life in His Words. (1990). Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-671-67929-5.
- ^ Rob Chirico, Field Guide to Cocktails p. 66 and 189, 2005 by Quirk Productions. ISBN 1-59474-063-1
