There was a scuffle at the local bar last night. The bartender told the fighters to “take it outside”. Afterwords a friend commented that bartenders must have been saying that forever. Thus leading to the question: When and where in history would we find the first bar recognisable as such - an establishment primarily for the purpose of selling alcoholic beverages for consumpition on the premises?
Darn. I thought this was going to be a name-that-tune-type question.
Gotta go.
This site suggests that English pubs started with the Romans
http://www.btinternet.com/~steven.williams1/pubpghst.htm
but I would guess that they were around in some form or another since booze was discovered. Probably in someone’s home rather than a purpose built place, but a place selling booze nevertheless.
There are three pubs in Nottingham, UK claiming to be the oldest (surviving) pub in the world, I don’t know which if any have been verified as such.