The Indiana Bar That Wet The Whistles Of Both Mark Twain And Al Capone

I once had lunch at a West Hollywood sushi bar a couple of seats away from Tori Spelling. My husband once had dinner at a table next to Alex Rodriguez and Cameron Diaz. But, a long time ago, someone in Lafayette, Indiana got home from the bar one night and announced to their housemate, "Dude, I just saw Mark Twain at the bar." And years after that, someone left the same bar and told everyone they knew the next day, "Bruh, I think I had a drink next to Al Capone last night." These two fictional people in these hypothetical situations had both been to The Knickerbocker Saloon, an historic bar that really did serve these two cultural icons.

It's not clear when this author and mobster visited The Knickerbocker, or what they ordered, but they are just two of many notable names that wandered into this bar over the course of the establishment's nearly 200-year history. According to The Knickerbocker Saloon, President Ulysses S. Grant (who probably drank Old Crow Bourbon on site) and Neil Armstrong (who attended nearby Purdue University) were also customers. When it was first opened in 1835, the saloon was called Gault House Tavern and it was located inside the Lahr Luxury Hotel. The bar was noteworthy at the time because it was the first watering hole to receive a liquor license from the Hoosier State, undoubtedly drawing in scores of thirsty residents and travelers — both famous and not.

While the Knickerbocker Saloon certainly isn't the oldest bar or restaurant in the nation, it has a fascinating history, even outside of its past clientele. After being open for more than a decade, the Gault House Tavern became the Cherry Wood Bar. It would not be re-named to the Knickerbocker until 1874. By this point, the hotel it was located in no longer existed, but that didn't stop customers from coming in. One of the largest draws was its lively piano music. This tradition still carries on today, with live piano performances a few days a week. The current bar top has been at the Knickerbocker since 1891, so it's withstood countless pints of beer, shot glasses, and maybe even a bar fight or two.

While the Knickerbocker Saloon itself doesn't have a food kitchen on site, guests can get grub delivered from nearby Digby's Pub, which serves up lots of dishes that taste great with beer and cocktails, like burgers, wraps, and fried appetizers. Patrons can enjoy dart boards, billiards, shuffleboard, and karaoke, which is probably something neither Mark Twain nor Al Capone would have participated in. Instead, they likely came just to enjoy their favorite drinks. It's said that Capone favored a gin-based drink called the Southside, while Twain enjoyed an early version of the Old Fashioned.