10 Places to Drink Like Your Favorite Writer

Sit in Hemingway’s bar stool, drink Ginsberg’s favorite drink, and stare out at Capote’s favorite Venetian views

By BootsnAll, Special Contributor

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Credit: Courtesy of the Algonquin Hotel

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Feb 29, 2012 @ 5:27 PM

Harry’s Bar: Venice, Italy

Once a refuge from fascism, Ernest Hemingway was a regular here (of course), but other customers included Truman Capote, Noël Coward, and Orson Welles. Even today it is often visited by the cultural elite.

Harry’s is known for inventing not only the Bellini (sparkling wine and peach) but beef carpaccio (err, raw beef). Be warned that the bar is known for being overpriced and touristy; when you dine here, you’re dining solely on history.

Recommended Beverage: There are a lot of places to drink Bellinis in Venice, but none as authentic as this.

Davy Byrnes: Dublin

In 1922, the Davy Byrnes pub was immortalized in James Joyce’s masterpiece Ulysses. Now, once a year on Bloomsday, the novel’s devoted fans stop by for a cheese sandwich and glass of wine, just like their literary hero Leopold Bloom.

James Joyce was a regular here himself, a fan of its excellent pub food and seafood. The bar is bright, modern, and curvy, and is still quite popular with locals.

Recommended Beverage: A glass of burgundy, preferably on June 16.

Find other traditional pubs in Ireland.

The Algonquin Hotel: New York City

The Algonquin Round Table was another famous literary group, which included playwrights, poets, and actors including Dorothy Parker, George S. Kaufman, and Harpo Marx. The group lunched daily at the Algonquin Hotel in Midtown Manhattan, and played cards there on Saturday nights. During the 1920s they were one of New York’s coolest clubs, leading them to be dubbed "The Vicious Circle."

Today, the hotel is a subsidiary of the Marriott, but it still maintains some of the glamor and tradition of the old days. The Round Table restaurant still contains the eponymous "round table" and murals of the glamorous former patrons. Note that the hotel is closed until May 2012.

Recommended Beverage: In Parker’s day, the hotel was dry, but today you might try a "Parker" — vodka, chambord, and fresh lemon juice. (Photo courtesy of the Algonquin)