Lauren Sherman
Liquid Inspiration
The writer’s life is often a lonely one–perhaps that’s why so many famous (and infamous) novelists have frequented the crooked tables and dingy booths of bars the world over.
Of course, some authors do prefer polished mahogany over crackly plastic-covered metal stools. But regardless of whether their favorite watering holes emanate old school elegance (like The Vicious Circle’s favorite spot, Midtown Manhattan’s Algonquin) or dark solemnity (like the Rabbit Room at the Eagle and Child, a favorite gathering place for Oxford scholars C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien) writers have taken to the drink since there was a drink to be taken...
Liquid Inspiration
The writer’s life is often a lonely one–perhaps that’s why so many famous (and infamous) novelists have frequented the crooked tables and dingy booths of bars the world over.
Of course, some authors do prefer polished mahogany over crackly plastic-covered metal stools. But regardless of whether their favorite watering holes emanate old school elegance (like The Vicious Circle’s favorite spot, Midtown Manhattan’s Algonquin) or dark solemnity (like the Rabbit Room at the Eagle and Child, a favorite gathering place for Oxford scholars C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien) writers have taken to the drink since there was a drink to be taken...
Lauren Sherman Liquid Inspiration The writer’s life is often a lonely one–perhaps that’s why so many famous (and infamous) novelists have frequented th... more
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White Horse Tavern
New York City
Dylan Thomas, James Baldwin, Hunter S. Thompson, Norman Mailer, Anais Nin, James Laughlin, Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, John Ashbery, Frank O’Hara.
One of the oldest bars in New York City, The White Horse Tavern has played host to generations of writers -- from Anais Nin to Norman Mailer. However, its most famous patron might be Dylan Thomas, who reportedly drank himself to death after imbibing eighteen straight whiskies in one sitting. Open continuously since 1880, this cozy bar in a wood-framed building (a rarity in Manhattan), remains popular among West Village locals, as well as students and tourists.
Algonquin
New York City
Dorothy Parker, Robert Benchley, Robert E. Sherwood, Alexander Woollcott, George S. Kaufman, Edna Ferber, Harold Ross, Harpo Marx
Back the Twenties, the bar at the Algonquin Hotel served as a meeting place for the Vicious Circle (also known as the Algonquin Round Table), which consisted a bevy of notable authors and journalists, including the particularly clever Dorothy Parker, who wrote for Vanity Fair alongside Robert Benchley and Robert E. Sherwood. Parker's wry musings on life have become so ingrained into American literary culture that the Algonquin has taken the liberty of printing many of her sayings on drink napkins, proving her words are as resonant today as they were then.
Heinold's First and Last Chance Saloon
Oakland, CA
Jack London, Robert Louis Stevenson
Heinold‘s First and Last Chance Saloon is referred to no less than 17 times in Jack London’s novel John Barleycorn, and not without reason. London spent his formative years studying at the saloon and became great friends with the bar’s owner, Johnny Heinold. In fact, the two became so close that Heinold funded London’s first year at the University of California. Although he failed to finish his degree, London returned to the tables of Heinold’s to craft such great works as The Call of the Wild and The Sea Wolf.
Harry's New York Bar
Paris
Sinclair Lewis, Ernest Hemingway
Perhaps the most famous bar in the world, this birthplace of the Bloody Mary has nursed more than one or two hangovers in its rich history, and during the 1920’s, Sinclair Lewis and Ernest Hemingway were regulars. Harry’s is still a favorite among expats, and although it's the originator of cocktails including the Sidecar and White Lady, be sure to make your first drink of the evening a dry martini.
Bar Hemingway at the Ritz
Paris
F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Marcel Proust
The Ritz Bar plays a fairly large role in Hemingway’s memoir, A Moveable Feast, which tells of his days living in Europe as a young journalist and burgeoning novelist. Fitzgerald, in particular, spent a great deal of time there, according to Hemingway. These days, the bar is still the Parisian epicenter for expats, with its rich wood paneling, leather seating and unique cocktails. There are original photographs taken by Hemingway hanging on the walls, featuring some of the author’s favorite Parisian spots.
Ye Olde Cock Tavern
London
Charles Dickens, Lord Alfred Tennyson
As the narrowest building on Fleet Street, Charles Dickens’s favorite tavern is a bit cramped, but the original fixtures, thought to be the work of master carver Grinling Gibbons, remain intact, even after a move from across the street in 1887. The pub remains a popular spot for the after-work crowd.
Davy Byrnes
Dublin
James Joyce, Samuel Beckett
James Joyce wrote often of Davy Byrnes, frequently in Ulysses and briefly in Dubliners. Every year, literary aficionados make a pilgrimage to the most famous of literary pubs, and not just to examine the paintings of Joycean Dublin: The pub grub is said to be some of the city’s best.
Eagle and Child
Oxford
C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien
CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien spent many an hour in deep discussion in the Rabbit Room at the Eagle and Child. Every Tuesday morning, these two luminaries held meetings of the Inklings, a literary group consisting of fellow writers in the Oxford community. Although the group began gathering across the way at the Lamb and Flag pub in 1962, the Rabbit Room remains the favorite spot for literary fans.
Long Bar at Raffles Hotel
Singapore
Joseph Conrad, Rudyard Kipling, William Somerset Maugham, Anthony Burgess
Home to the Singapore Sling, the Long Bar was frequented in the early half of the 20th century by literary greats including Joseph Conrad and Rudyard Kipling. The hotel, which recently celebrated its 120th birthday, is beloved for its old-fashioned ease. The Palm Court is the preferred setting for an afternoon drink.
Floridita
Havana
Ernest Hemingway, Tennessee Williams
From 1940 on, Hemingway spent hours upon hours in El Foridita - they even crafted a drink after him called the “Papa Doble,” a mix of Cuban white rum, grapefruit, lemon juice, maraschino, and ice cubes. He frequented the bar for nearly 20 years; his favorite stool remains empty in his memory, and there’s a life-size sculpture of him leaning on the bar. Although daiquiris cost around double the price of nearby joints, a visit is worthwhile for Hemingway fans.
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