Hustler’s Tavern & the Hustler’s Tavern mural

By Thomas Paul Asklar

Hustlers Tavern was built in 1809 and existed as the first tavern on the US side of the Niagara,

Frontier. In the early 1800s, Hustler’s Tavern was located on the corner of North Eighth Street

& Center Street, specifically 800 Center Street in Lewiston, NY. The proprietress was Katherine

Hustler, nicknamed the “dreaded dame”. She had been a Sutler in the Revolutionary War,

dispensing government supplied liquor to the troops.

Hustlers Tavern was the place where the cocktail is said to be invented! The first cocktail

featured gin & some drops of herbed wine, stirred and mixed together with a tail feather of a

cock, or rooster. Katherine Hustler would declare, “it’ll warm both soul & body” and “is fit to be

put into a vessel of diamonds”. Also, the game of darts appeared at this time on Center Street

in Hustler’s Tavern, as soldiers exhibited their skills, beginning as a fun activity but quickly

evolving into a game of skill. Many folks started to make their own shortened arrows, and they

would bring with them to the pub to challenge their friends and to display the great skill they had developed.

The Hustler’s Tavern Mural, painted by Thomas Paul Asklar, features a concept that takes the

historical and elevates it to the contemporary. The anchor of the composition is a figure of a

barmaid, representing Katherine Hustler herself. The barmaid is based upon two cultural icons;

the quintessential barmaid from Edouard Manet’s “A Bar at the Folies Bergere “(1882), and

legendary actress Aubrey Hepburn. Audrey’s bubble gum bubble adds an edgy twist to the

barmaid. The central figure is portrayed in both black & white, and color together to connect the\past to the present. A nod towards the historical while catapulting into the present time, and beyond…

In 1813, The Village of Lewiston was burned down by the British in retaliation for the Americans burning of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada. Legend has it that the British spared Hustler’s Tavern because they frequented it to enjoy the cocktails. The British Officer peeks into the scene and he is quite the dandy! James Fenimore Cooper, the famous American

author, stoically looks on. Cooper wrote his second novel “The Spy” in 1821 while staying at

Hustler’s Tavern in Lewiston New York, writing at a small desk upstairs in his room at the

tavern. The character Betty Flanagan was based upon Katherine Hustler in the story, as well as

Katherine’s husband Thomas, who was portrayed as “The Sergeant”. In” The Spy”, Hustler’s

Tavern was featured as “Flanagan’s”, and the cocktail was introduced to the world in the story

as well. The cockerel, also known as the rooster, is seen prancing upon the bar next to a 19th

century pewter chalice. There’s also a ghost-like image of the rooster looming large on the left-

hand side of the mural. Hanging into the scene is a barrel, which was used back in the day to

create and store spirits, ales, and beer. Barrels are created by a cooper, or cooper-smith, thus

mirroring James Fenimore Cooper on the right hand side of the mural. The visage of the original

Hustlers ‘s Tavern, which at one time stood on this very spot, welcomes visitors in the bottom

left-hand corner of the painting. It spills out of the picture plane as it seemingly welcomes guests to Hustlers Tavern just like it did 200 years ago! The background rays represent the energy of Hustler’s Tavern, emanating from the past, and continuing into the present and future. The feathers floating throughout the mural represent the concept of new beginnings, as Hustler’s Tavern is once again resurrected in Lewiston!