[Image via Paul Pearson & Shorpy]

Fraunces Tavern, seen above in 1900, is sometimes called the oldest bar in New York City, though it has not been in continuous operation since it started selling spirits in the 1760s.  It’s presently housed in a somewhat conjectural reconstruction of its original building, where George Washington bade farewell to his officers after the Revolutionary War:

The oldest continuously operating bar in New York City is McSorley’s Old Ale House, which claims to date from 1854 but may have actually opened in the 1860s.

In any case, McSorley’s has hardly changed at all since John Sloan painted the picture above in 1912.

Click on the images to enlarge.