Harry's New York Bar

Harry's New York Bar is a historic American-style bar at 5 Rue Daunou in Paris, between the Avenue de l'Opéra and the Rue de la Paix. The venue occupies a prominent place in the history of Parisian nightlife and cocktail culture. It began in 1911, when American jockey Tod Sloan converted an existing bistro into an American bar. Sloan worked with a New Yorker known as Clancy, whose Manhattan bar was dismantled and transported to Paris for reassembly. The project was intended to serve the growing population of American visitors, expatriates, artists, writers, and other international travelers who regarded Paris as a cultural and social center. Sloan hired Harry MacElhone, a Scottish barman from Dundee, to operate the establishment. The bar gained attention during the First World War, when it became a gathering place for members of the American Field Service Ambulance Corps and other English-speaking visitors. Sloan's financial difficulties, attributed in historical accounts to heavy personal spending, eventually led him to sell the business. In 1923, MacElhone acquired the bar and added his own first name to its identity, creating the name by which it became internationally known. Under Harry MacElhone, the venue developed from an expatriate meeting place into a landmark of cocktail history. MacElhone was associated with the creation or popularization of several drinks traditionally linked to the bar, including the Bloody Mary, French 75, Sidecar, and Monkey Gland. The precise origins of individual cocktails are debated, but Harry's has long promoted its role in the development of modern mixed-drink culture. Its reputation was reinforced by the publication of MacElhone's cocktail writing and by the bar's visibility among international travelers. The establishment also became associated with prominent figures from literature, sport, entertainment, fashion, and high society. Historical accounts list visitors including Ernest Hemingway, Sinclair Lewis, Coco Chanel, Humphrey Bogart, Rita Hayworth, Prince Serge Obolensky, Jack Dempsey, Primo Carnera, and the Duke of Windsor, among many others. The bar has also appeared in literary and popular-cultural references, including works or stories connected with Ian Fleming, Raymond Radiguet, and Joseph Kessel. Its piano bar, known as the Ivories, is traditionally associated with George Gershwin's composition of An American in Paris. The MacElhone family continued to operate the business across several generations. Harry MacElhone's son Andrew took over after Harry's death in 1958 and remained in charge until 1989. Andrew's son Duncan then managed the bar until his death in 1998, after which Duncan's widow, Isabelle MacElhone, assumed responsibility. The family succession helped preserve the bar's historical identity while maintaining its role as a working Paris establishment rather than merely a museum-like attraction. Harry's New York Bar is also known for conducting a straw poll before United States presidential elections. Customers who can demonstrate United States citizenship may participate. The poll began in 1924 and has reportedly matched the eventual election result in most contests, with notable exceptions including 1976, 2004, and 2016. This tradition reflects the bar's continuing connection to American expatriate and international communities. Today, Harry's remains best understood as a destination hospitality brand built around cocktails, history, place, and cultural continuity.

Harry's New York Bar was established in Paris in 1911 by Tod Sloan, an American jockey who converted a bistro at 5 Rue Daunou into an American-style bar. Sloan entered into a partnership with a New Yorker identified in historical accounts as Clancy. Their concept involved dismantling a Manhattan bar and shipping its fittings to Paris, where they were installed in the new establishment. Sloan hired Harry MacElhone, a Scottish barman from Dundee, to run the venue. The bar emerged during a period when Paris was attracting increasing numbers of American tourists, expatriates, writers, artists, and other international visitors. Sloan sought to create a familiar social environment for English-speaking customers, and the bar became particularly popular among members of the American Field Service Ambulance Corps during the First World War. Sloan's personal financial problems later forced him to sell the business. In 1923, Harry MacElhone purchased the bar and incorporated his first name into its title. His tenure transformed the venue into a celebrated Paris landmark. MacElhone's reputation as a barman and cocktail authority became central to the bar's identity. Harry's has subsequently been associated with the Bloody Mary, French 75, Sidecar, and Monkey Gland, although cocktail histories often contain competing claims about invention, refinement, and popularization. The bar's clientele over the decades included figures from international society, literature, sport, fashion, music, and film. Among the people associated with visits to the venue are Ernest Hemingway, Sinclair Lewis, Coco Chanel, Humphrey Bogart, Rita Hayworth, Jack Dempsey, Primo Carnera, Prince Serge Obolensky, and the Duke of Windsor. The location has also appeared in literary references. Ian Fleming's short story From a View to a Kill includes a recollection of Harry's, while Raymond Radiguet and Joseph Kessel placed characters in or near an American bar on Rue Daunou in their fiction. The MacElhone family retained operational control for much of the twentieth century. Harry's son Andrew succeeded him after Harry died in 1958 and managed the bar until 1989. Andrew's son Duncan then took over and remained proprietor until his death in 1998. Duncan's widow, Isabelle MacElhone, subsequently assumed responsibility. This succession established the bar as a multigenerational hospitality institution. Harry's also developed traditions beyond ordinary bar service. The Ivories piano bar is associated with George Gershwin's composition of An American in Paris. In addition, the venue has conducted a straw poll before United States presidential elections since 1924. Participation is restricted to customers able to provide proof of United States citizenship. The poll has generally corresponded with the eventual result, although historical accounts identify exceptions in 1976, 2004, and 2016. Its enduring significance rests on the combination of location, cocktail tradition, American expatriate history, literary associations, and continuity of operation. Harry's New York Bar remains a Paris hospitality landmark whose brand is based less on a broad corporate network than on a distinctive physical venue and accumulated cultural memory.

• 1998

  Isabelle MacElhone assumes responsibility

  [1]Harry's New York Baren.wikipedia.org

  After Duncan MacElhone's death, his widow Isabelle MacElhone took over the bar.

• 1989

  Duncan MacElhone takes over

  [1]Harry's New York Baren.wikipedia.org

  Duncan MacElhone succeeded Andrew as proprietor.

• 1958

  Andrew MacElhone succeeds Harry

  [1]Harry's New York Baren.wikipedia.org

  Following Harry MacElhone's death, his son Andrew assumed management of the bar.

• 1924

  First United States presidential straw poll

  [1]Harry's New York Baren.wikipedia.org

  Harry's began its recurring pre-election poll for customers who could demonstrate United States citizenship.

• 1923

  MacElhone acquires the bar

  [1]Harry's New York Baren.wikipedia.org

  Harry MacElhone purchased the establishment and added his first name to its public identity.

• 1911

  Establishment in Paris

  [1]Harry's New York Baren.wikipedia.org

  Tod Sloan converted a bistro at 5 Rue Daunou into an American-style venue known initially as the New York Bar.

• 1911

  Harry MacElhone becomes barman

  [1]Harry's New York Baren.wikipedia.org

  Harry MacElhone, a Scottish barman from Dundee, was hired to operate the new bar.

A historic, internationally recognized Paris cocktail bar positioned around American-style hospitality, classic mixology, expatriate culture, literary and artistic associations, and continuity across generations.

• Cocktails

  Classic cocktails

  The bar's principal offering is its cocktail service, with Harry's historically associated with drinks including the Bloody Mary, French 75, Sidecar, and Monkey Gland. These associations form part of the venue's identity as an early twentieth-century center of American-style mixology in Paris.

• Hospitality · 1911

  Bar and beverage service

  Harry's operates as a traditional bar serving alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages in a compact historic venue. Its hospitality proposition emphasizes atmosphere, conversation, international clientele, and continuity rather than a mass-market product range.

• Piano bar

  The Ivories

  The Ivories is Harry's piano-bar area and an important part of the venue's cultural identity. It is traditionally linked with George Gershwin's work on An American in Paris and contributes to the bar's association with music and international artistic life.

1. 1Harry's New York Baren.wikipedia.org