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Dive Bar Fact Blast: When Did Dive Bars First Appear in NYC?

First written reference: 1871.

by Devra Ferst
Via All Coverage of Cocktail Week [ENY] and What’s the Origin of the Phrase “Dive Bar”? [Chow]
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Dive bars (named originally because "frequenters may ‘dive' [in] without observation") have been around in New York for a long time, but didn't show up in print until July 1871 when the New York Herald described a bar as "One of the gayly decorated dives where young ladies ... dispense refreshments to thirsty souls."

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