In New York City the title of oldest bar to be found in the city is one that is not given out easily. 

The city has quite literally got a bar to suit your every mood, from a 60s beauty salon theme, to a place with more of a Mad Men feel there is practically something for everyone. 

However, if you decided you want to take a trip to NYC's oldest ever bar, then you might be facing a bit more of a challenge. The title is one which is being fought for by three different venues. 

One of these venues is McSorley's Irish bar in the East Village. The bar claims to have been around since the 1800s. While there are close to 2,000 bars to be found in New York's five boroughs, McSorley's are battling it out with two others, one in Queens and one in the city's financial district to take the title of the city's oldest. 

This week, Chrisitian Nilsson of the Huffington Post took on the challenge of discovering which bar was the oldest. He discovering it is a harder answer to find than one would think:

“The point is all of these bars can be ruled out, depending on the guidelines,” he said. “But each are a part of NYC history and should be recognized as such.”

Matthew Maher, the owner of McSorley's claims the bar has been open in 1854 and commonly refers to the bar as 'the oldest tavern in New York City.'

The city's historians are taking this title very seriously and disqualifying bars in the most minor of technicalities. McSorley's risks being knocked off the top spot due to the fact that they have changed their name in the past. 

Matthew though claims that he doesn't mind too much if McSorley's misses out on the title, instead he considers the fact that his pub is practically a living museum in a city that is constantly moving and changing "victorious".