Knights of the White Apron
A Knight of the White Apron is a bartender. This page is dedicated to the best bartenders I ever new. I have taken upon myself to declare that anyone mentioned on this page is offically a Knight of the White Apron. Please feel free to nominate your favorite bartender in the commnets area and I will try and Knight them, so to speak.
George Lynch, Doc Fiddlers, NYC. George was the greatest story teller I have ever seen. He not only had masterful timing but he also did his own sound effects. His greatest contribution was to build a memorial flag pole to all the young men from the neighborhood who died in the Viet Nam War.
Ed Callahan, Chambers Bar, NYC. There was no one smoother behind the bar than Eddie. He worked a very small very crowded bar with the ease of Fred Astair. Always good humored and friendly. Great sports trivia guy.
Lou Cavanaugh, Cavanaugh’s, NYC. A true barman. He was a handsome son of a gun so there were always ladies around Lou. He was always a gentlemen bartender who ran a tight ship and did not subscribe to any trickery behind the bar. He was also not to be messed with. I once saw him walk around a packed bar grab a misbehaving customer by the scruff of the neck, give him the heave how and most of the people in the bar had no clue.
Mickey Bayard, The Mad Hatter, NYC. Bayard was a wildman with the quickest wit. One of the first times I ever went to see him he had a bathroom plunger stuck to the top of his head.
Mike McCourt, Perry’s, San Francisco. Mike is one of those McCourt’s. His brother Frank wrote Angela’s Ashes and his brother Malachy is famous for being famous. Mike always drew a very upscale crowd which he would often cut to shreds with his quick witt and bawdy behaviour. I loved every moment I ever sat across the plank form this man.
Seamus Coyle, Perry’s, San Francisco. When he and McCourtworked together it was an act worthy of any comedy team. They were a riot together.
Tom Carney, Elaine’s, NYC. For thirty years plus he stood behind the bar at Elaines waiting on Kings and Paupers and all with the same distane. He was an equal opportunity offender. He was also very smooth and charming and never let anyone get away with any kind of misbehavior. Whether you were a rock star, ball player, cop or priest you were never above his barbs.
Lou Farragher, The Bunch of Grapes, NYC. Lou was a big handsome fun loving guy. He also happened to be one of the toughest guys I ever knew. Lou was very funny and could impersonate almost anyone. He was such a story teller that he actually went ot LA and BS’ed his way on to Kojack. I will tell that full story at some later date.
Jack “Whitey” McAndrews, The Alpine Tavern, NYC. Whitey was a real gentleman bartender. He worked in neighborhood bars as well as high end Saloons like Jimmy Westin’s. He is mostly remembered for holding court at the Alpine Tavern for over twenty years in New York. He was another bartender with a terrific sports mind, having been a real good basketball player himself. He was also known for his generosity of spirit and pocket. A throwback to the days when a bartender felt he was responsible for taking care of his customers.
Whitey passed away recently and he will be missed but never forgotten.
17 responses to “Knights of the White Apron”
Mary E Pollak
May 25th, 2009 at 13:54
Jimmy McArdle made the best Bloody Mary ever!
citizencaen
May 29th, 2009 at 21:31
Got two more from the 415 for you…Bobby McCambridge…of the late and greatly missed Moose’s, and Tim Stookey…the ringleader of the new wave of SF bartenders and probably the classiest guy in the business…
Samantha Young
May 31st, 2009 at 00:41
You know who I want on this list…the nicest man in the world, the most generous, give you the shirt off his back, makes sure you take a taxi home or would drive you himself, and refuses to serve drinks to those that don’t need them. He would make your friend Chickie proud.
Sure I’m a bit biased, but if it wasn’t for him. I would have never met you…even though it was at a saloon, with your pants around your ankles…but I saved you from giving that date of yours your expensive watch. Remember? 1988…I believe it was…
BILL O'CONNOR
June 1st, 2009 at 16:40
RENNIE MAHLAU GARRYOWEN’S NYC INWOOD HE WOULD HAVE YOU LAUGHING EVERY SATURDAY WITH HIS STORIES
Byrno
June 12th, 2009 at 21:11
Steve,
I agree with BOC. The Sarge, Renny Mahlau, was one of a kind and a Garryowens institution. You might also consider Bobby O’Shea aka Hollywood, aka the Rock. He was comfortable dealing with a millionaire or a crackhead who had just sold his mother’s clothes for a hit. He manned the stick in the Sloop, Pete’s Tavern, and the legendary Boardy Barn. He was murdered on 9/11 and is sorely missed to this day.
Mike Stewart
June 14th, 2009 at 20:03
I would like to add Francois McCallion as on of the best and I feel I speak for Jimmy Spain also… Franny was aways a professional bar keep in the finest traditions of Inwood.
Ray McCormack
June 17th, 2009 at 22:19
Among my favorites in no particular oder:
John O’Dea
Bobby Casey
Jimmy O’Connor
Steve McPartland
Tommy McGovern
Joe Doheny
Sean McDonagh
George Gentilesco
AnnMarie Neary
June 21st, 2009 at 13:11
Jimmy Neary
Angel and Margaret
July 2nd, 2009 at 14:07
The bartender at the Last Supper. JOHN FLOOD.
maureen fitzsimmons
July 23rd, 2009 at 01:23
Steve,
I arrive at your website thanks to Joe Folchetti and am amazed at how many Knights I have known; however as a child of Inwood, I am not surprised.
My dear friend and companion for many years, Jack “Whitey” McAndrews departed from this life on June 25 of this year. In his day, jack was an all city basketball player at Commerce and went on to scholarship at St. John’s.
Jack tended bar from Inwood – Keenan’s to Marble Hill – Donaghy’s – to Jimmy Weston’s in downtown – to the Alpine (where he and Joe met up and formed a wonderful realtionship spanning 20+ years. Jack was, as many of the Knights you’ve mentioned, a master of sports trivia. He was a kind, caring person, who took care of his customers – at times many of whom were falling on hard times. I nominate him for your Hall of Fame,
Diane
June 11th, 2010 at 00:05
I met Whitey when I was a teenager and he worked sometime in PS52 in the evening community center. Over the years we would bump into each other and many tmes my Mom would say I saw Whitey today.
Mike DeLuca
July 29th, 2009 at 16:46
Stevie, Got the blog info from Tony C. I really love reading it. It’s like having you back at the Gap telling stories. Let me know when your back in the Bay Area so we can cheat you again in a golf game. Be well.
Mike
johnmac
January 23rd, 2010 at 08:07
Mine was Pat Gallagher in the Broadstone — a true gentleman and an AA member himself — and he always knew when it was the best time to sat “This one’s on me, Mac”
.. and I drank with George Lynch in Bowlarama (he was there twice), Barry’s, The White Horse, Doc Fiddler’s, and wherever else he went
Di
June 11th, 2010 at 00:08
I met Whitey as a teenager when he worked at times at the evening community center. Such a nice person and we would always bump into each other over the years. My mother always saw him on Broadway. Such a nice person. Also knew 2 of his friends Jack and Frank.
patrick power
April 24th, 2011 at 11:37
hi steve
my favorite bar tender,let’s see.it just came to me, gene gaughlin the olde shelling pub formely the tally ho.gene was a tough guy,but not a nice guy.btw my father used to drink in the shannon view.it’s still there as of few years ago.steve thanks for sharing your memories great stuff..it’s seem’s we had the same friend’,ferragher,cavanaugh,callahan,gene mc cormick etc.thank’s, and sinn fein
Pat Pepe
February 18th, 2012 at 01:55
Dont forget Patty Quinn, he held court behind the bar at Jimmy Westons on 54 street along with the already mentioned Jack McAndrews, Those were the days that will never be captured again. Sports was always on the bar conversation Menu and on occasion a celebrity would join in. Another well liked and appreciated bartender was Bobby Melville who later went to work as a bartender in PJ Clarks.after jimmy closed the club and for a time opened up in Spring Lake NJ. God bless you Jimmy your club was the place to be, stories ? too many to mention
Jim Hennessy
September 11th, 2013 at 14:25
I would like to nominate Jim O’Brien whose last job was Kennedys on 57th. Within in a three week span OB passed then the bar then Micheal Glynn. Talk about threes! He worked at Keats ,Kennedys,O’Neils and Ben Bensons to name a few. Keats, Sloeguy and myself would break his chops and say he was a big boring jock but he would take it then make us laugh. When he held court behind the bar, Doc Magion,Tommy Penders and Swa Healy were there and every year at the final four,