#1 Tavern THE HOME OF THE SUPER TULLY NUT
~A Series of old Wildwood Bar Stories~

2012 marks the 44th season for #1 Tavern at 1st & Atlantic Aves. in North Wildwood

Mark Tully has a secret formula. He has it written down, audio recorded and videotaped. These three things are locked away in “the spot.” Only one person knows where that spot is, however, that person has no access to it, but Mr. Tully’s wife Lillian does. On the other hand, she can only go to ‘the spot’ when ‘the person’ tells her where it is.

The recipe is Mark Tully’s world famous Super Tully Nut, the house drink of #1 Tavern. It’s a mixture of 5 liquors served with an umbrella, straw, cherry and a slice of orange and can only be purchased at North Wildwood’s #1 Tavern on 1st and Atlantic Avenues across from the Sea Wall.

Romolo Leomporra is his real name, though being an entertainer his stage name became Mark Tully. During the 1970’s Mr. Tully owned a nightclub for 14 years at the corner of Old New Jersey Avenue. It was called Mark Tully’s Nut Club and the performances were extraordinary, with lights and the latest technology at the time to enhance the show. As an artist, Tully put a great deal of creative energy into what he did so it wasn’t surprising that his secret recipe would be distinctive and matchless.

During the winter of 1968-69, Mark experimented in his home, putting drinks together. He ended up with two with four liquors and two with five liquors. One evening he presented the drinks to his wife, father, a trusted bartender and himself. No one was allowed to talk about the drinks while tasting but each had a piece of paper. They sat and chatted about other things and when they had finished the fourth drink everyone had written down which one they had liked the best. Everyone had written down the same, and thus produced ‘The Super Tully Nut’ taken from Mark’s last name and the club he owned at the time. The drink became extremely popular in the Wildwoods and customers were going to other bars asking for it, but Mark Tully’s #1 Tavern was and is the only place in the world where it is sold.

“It’s like an Italian mom who makes great Italian gravy. It’s a little bit of this and a little bit of that, every bit is blended so you can’t pick out any one thing which makes it great,” said Mark. And the drink has been known throughout the country in places like Chicago and Hawaii and throughout the world from England to Russia, the Caribbean to India. Families have come to the Tavern and introduced the drink to their kids and grandkids, passing down the unique flavor that “everyone seems to taste differently with their own exclusive pallet.”

This will be the 44th season for #1 Tavern which happens to be one of the oldest bars in the entire area that has the same name, owner, and management. “I really don’t know how to run a bar, but this bar I do know how to run,” he said, saying that his favorite part about being the owner is the customers. “The people who come in here and the way they act, it’s just phenomenal. They’re so respectful and thank me and say they had such a great experience. That’s why I’ve been here 43 years.” Mr. Tully is very respectful of the neighborhood and as a resident feels to the need to take good care of area. Just this summer vacationers had told him that they wished they could buy a house across the street just so they could be close to his bar.

Eventually Mark plans on retiring and when he does his sons, Romolo Jr. and Christian will take care of the business. “And they’ll know The Super Tully Nut,” he said with a devious smirk, “but this how they’re gonna know it: one son is going to know part of the recipe and the other son is going to know the other part.” Both sons are to not tell each other their half of the formula. One will do one thing and the other will do another and together they will combine it and the secret will be kept. This summer the theme will be, “Have you had your Super Tully Nut experience?”

Mark Tully and his son mixing up the ‘secret’ Super Tully Nut