The bar · Daily from 4 pm

The Undertaker's Parlor

We've kept the name, the paneling and the sense of decorum. The embalming is now limited to the Old Fashioned.

The room

From 1889 until 1946 this was the viewing parlor of Hollis & Vane, the funeral firm that owned the house for fifty-seven years. Salem families sat here on horsehair sofas in their best black and received callers. The mahogany wainscot is theirs, and so is the tall glass-fronted cabinet behind the bar, which once held, as best we can tell from the firm's ledgers, hymnals, mourning cards and a good deal of sherry. Now it holds the gin.

When the Alcotts opened the bar in 2015, they spent some time on the name. The other contenders were sensible and forgettable. "The Undertaker's Parlor" was neither, and the room seemed to approve. We have improved the seating considerably.

There are fourteen seats at the bar, five low tables, and two wing chairs by the fire that are the most contested seats in Salem from October 1 to November 1. The full dinner menu from The Ledger is served at the bar until the kitchen closes; after that, the bar snacks below until close.

Hours: Daily, 4:00–11:00 pm; Friday and Saturday until midnight
Kitchen: Dinner menu until 9:30 pm (10:30 Fri–Sat); bar snacks until 30 minutes before close
Reservations: Not taken; first come, first seated
Age: 21+ after 9 pm. Under-21s are welcome before then with an adult
Live music: Thursday evenings, 7–10 pm, usually piano, sometimes a fiddle

House cocktails

Every cocktail on the list is named for someone or something in the house's 278 years. Our bar manager, Calum, researched the names in the library and invented the drinks to fit, which is more or less how history works anyway.

The Widow's Lantern cocktail: a coupe glass of pale gold liquid with a lavender sprig — The Widow's Lantern, with its sprig of lavender.

Cocktails

The Widow's Lantern16

Gin, elderflower, lemon, a lavender syrup from our garden and a float of sparkling wine. Pale gold, like a light in a window. For Abigail Crane, who kept one burning for eleven years.

Pell's Remedy15

Gin, fresh peppermint, lime, a few dashes of aromatic bitters, soda. Considerably safer than anything Dr. Ezra Pell sold from this house between 1834 and 1871.

Embalmer's Old Fashioned17

Rye whiskey, smoked demerara syrup, orange and Angostura, stirred and served over one large clear cube. Preserved, as it were, from an older age.

The Captain's Pepper16

Aged rum, black-pepper syrup, lime and allspice dram. For Captain Nathaniel Crane, who made his fortune in the Sumatra pepper trade and was lost on a pepper voyage in 1801.

West Indies Molasses15

Dark rum, blackstrap molasses, lime, ginger beer. Captain Josiah Crane's cargo of the 1740s, in a highball.

Hollis & Vane17

A Manhattan in two parts: bourbon for Mr. Hollis, a bitter Italian vermouth for Mr. Vane. Stirred, up, with a brandied cherry. Dignified. Very dry.

The Lady in Gray16

Earl Grey-infused gin, lemon, egg white and honey. Silvery, quiet, and gone before you quite notice. (Ask for it with aquafaba for a vegan version.)

The Boarders' Punch14 / 52 for the bowl

Rum, brandy, black tea, citrus and nutmeg, the kind of punch a landlady would never have allowed her sailors and mill hands in 1880. By the glass, or in a bowl for four.

Custom House Sour15

Applejack, lemon, maple, a red-wine float. For the era when every ship's cargo passed a tax collector at the foot of Salem's wharves.

Feverfew15

Mezcal, chamomile, grapefruit, a pinch of salt. Named for the herb Dr. Pell grew where the pickleball courts are now. He would not have approved of either.

Wake in the Parlor16

Cold-brew coffee, aged rum, a coffee liqueur and cream. For staying up late in the old viewing room, as people always have.

The Fairweather15

Vodka, rhubarb, lemon and sparkling wine. Bright and hopeful, for the family who saved the house from demolition in 1991.

Zero-proof

We take these as seriously as the others, and charge accordingly less.

Without alcohol

Little Tom8

Tart cherry, lime, a little vanilla and soda, with two cherries at the bottom like a pair of marbles. For the boarder's child who still, by some accounts, rolls them down the third-floor hall.

Sobolo Spritz9

Hibiscus, ginger, clove and orange peel, Dee's grandmother's recipe, lengthened with sparkling water.

Peppermint Tonic8

Fresh peppermint, cucumber, lime, tonic. Pell's Remedy, minus the gin and the guilt.

Garden Shrub8

Seasonal fruit-and-vinegar shrub (this month: pear and sage) with soda.

Zero-proof sparkling wine10

A dealcoholized sparkling white from Germany, by the glass.

Non-alcoholic lager or IPA7

Ask what's in the cooler.

Pell's Remedy, a tall green-tinged drink with mint leaves and a lime wheel — Pell's Remedy. The zero-proof version looks exactly the same.

Wine by the glass

A short list, poured in 6-ounce glasses, with a 3-ounce taste available for any of them at half price plus a dollar. A full list of about ninety bottles is available at the bar and in The Ledger.

Beer & cider

Eight taps, mostly from small breweries within forty miles, rotating often. What's below is typical; the chalkboard by the cabinet is the truth.

On draft

North Shore pilsner8

Crisp, grassy, golden; from a brewery up the coast.

New England IPA9

Hazy, soft, a lot of tropical hops. A regional specialty and a regional argument.

Harbor amber ale8

Malty and toasty, good with the chowder.

Oyster stout9

Dry and roasty, brewed with a few oyster shells in the boil, the old way.

Pumpkin ale8

Autumn only. We resisted for nine years and then gave in.

Belgian-style farmhouse saison9

Dry, peppery, a little funky; from a farm brewery in the Merrimack Valley.

Dry hard cider9

From a Massachusetts orchard, unfiltered and not sweet.

Rotating tapmarket price

Whatever Calum found this week.

Cans and bottles also available, including a gluten-free pale ale. Ask.

Bar snacks

Served from 4 pm until thirty minutes before close.

Snacks

Spiced nuts6

Almonds, cashews and peanuts with suya spice and a little sugar. VG GF

Smoked bluefish pâté14

With rye crisps and pickled shallots.

Deviled eggs9

Four halves, smoked paprika, crisp shallot. V GF

Plantain chips & pepper dip8

Thin-sliced, salted, with a roasted-pepper and peanut dip. VG GF

Oysters, half dozen21

From the raw bar, with mignonette. GF

Fried clam stripsmarket price

With tartar sauce and lemon.

Parlor burger17

A smaller version of The Ledger burger, with cheddar and pickles, and fries. After 9:30 pm, the only hot food on offer, and very good at that hour.

Cheese & pickles15

Two New England cheeses, house pickles, mustard, Theo's bread. V

Lavender shortbread5

Two pieces, to go with the Port. V

Please drink responsibly and get home safely; the front desk will call a taxi at any hour. A 20% gratuity is added for parties of 8 or more. Menu changes with the season.

A bar in a funeral parlor sounded like a gimmick. It turned out to be the most civilized room in Salem.
— A guest, the Captain's Quarters, November 2025