It's Always Sunny in Newark: Actor Glenn Howerton tends bar at Timothy's

Timothy’s of Newark was packed to the brim with fans of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” on Thursday evening, when actor Glenn Howerton visited the restaurant and took a turn behind the bar.

Howerton, who plays Dennis Reynolds in the hit comedy show, was in town to promote his new Four Walls Irish American Whiskey. He also visited several bars in Wilmington.

The whiskey is a collaboration with Howerton’s co-stars, Charlie Day and Rob McElhenney.

“We’re calling it the bartender’s blend,” Howerton said. “Instead of grabbing a bottle of Jameson and then having to put that away and grab a different bottle to create cocktails, we created a brand so that you could have one bottle that does both.”

The name Four Walls is an homage to the show, which has run for nearly 20 years.

“That’s kind of the heart and soul behind the brand,” Howerton said.

Brian McCleary, the bar manager at Timothy’s, said the restaurant jumped at the chance to host the event.

“The base of the concept was, he wants to bring his whiskey and get it in everyone’s hands,” McCleary said. “Like face-to-face, shaking hands, taking shots together, camaraderie builds a brand kind of thing.”

He was happy the see the bar packed with smiling fans.

“A lot of things went away in 2020,” McClearly said. “It just proves that it’s coming back. Shoulder to shoulder, people taking shots together, smiling and laughing.”

Attendees ranged from University of Delaware students to longtime Newarkers.

Cynthia and Jesse Rodriguez, who live in the Newark area, heard about the event from their daughter, a UD student.

“She is a huge fan of ‘It’s Always Sunny,’ and she made us fans,” Jesse said.

He said he enjoyed the chance to meet a celebrity here in Newark.

“We don’t have huge venues for concerts, things like that,” he said. “So even something small like this at a local level really kind of brings people together and lets them find the heart of Delaware.”

Cynthia added that Howerton’s visit benefited local businesses.

“They probably wouldn’t have this crowd and this food and these drinks on a regular old Thursday in the summer,” she said.

Howerton referred to Four Walls as a passion project.

“I’m a big whiskey drinker,” Howerton said. “So, I’d like for my future to be more Four Walls stuff, more whiskey-related things.”

Visiting Newark to promote the brand “just made sense,” he added.

“It’s so close to my adopted hometown of Philadelphia. So that’s one of the reasons why we’re here,” Howerton said.