“How’m I doing on my first day?” Tom Forte asked from behind the bar on a bustling Saturday afternoon at Finnegan’s Restaurant & Tap Room in Huntington village.
“I’m a bit nervous.”
The room erupted in laughter.
Forte, 78, tilted a glass at a perfect 45-degree angle under the tap and poured one of many expertly crafted Guinnesses that day, finishing the ritual with a warm smile and a hearty “Salud!”
It’s a routine the Huntington native has perfected over the course of six decades behind the bar — including the last 38 years at the beloved, “Cheers”-esque watering hole.
And he’s still there seven days a week.
“This is my second home,” said Forte, who also serves as the restaurant’s general manager.
After decades of slinging drinks — including his signature tropical cocktail known as “The Big Cat” — Forte says the real secret to longevity behind the bar has little to do with the drinks and everything to do with the people.
“You’re on stage back there,” he said. “You come to work upbeat. I love jokes, I’m big on trivia, I’ve gotta know about sports and what’s in the news. You want people to leave saying, ‘Wow, what a good time.’”
Just as important to Forte is the atmosphere he’s helped create over the years.
“Parents know their kids are in good hands with me here,” he said.
Forte grew up nearby and graduated from Huntington High School in 1965. That same year, while working as a bouncer at a bar and lounge inside the now-defunct Century Bowling Alley, the bartender didn’t show up for a shift.
So Forte stepped behind the bar. Sixty years later, he’s still there.
After two years learning the craft, Forte spent a decade bartending at Ferdinando’s Hideaway and later worked behind the bar at Melville Bowl for 30 years. In 1988, he added Finnegan’s to the mix.
Even now, there’s no real closing time in sight.
“I want to do it at least until I’m 80 — maybe a couple days a week after that,” Forte said with a laugh.
The job has helped him raise three children, send five grandchildren through school and build a life rooted in the community he serves every day.
“This has been my life,” he said. “I love these people and they love me. It’s been a good run.”
Sitting at the bar recently with one of Forte’s Guinnesses was John “Scotty” Fagan. Raised in Scotland, he moved to Long Island in 1967 — and remembers the first drink he was ever served here.
Tom Forte poured it.
“Tom’s the same way he was back then,” said Fagan, now 69. “A professional, go-lucky guy.”
Top: Tom Forte (L) clinks Guinness pints with longtime Finnegan’s regular John “Scotty” Fagan in Huntington. (Credit: Kevin Redding)
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