Licensee Nigel Jones toasted the dawn of the new licensing era at the Railway Hotel in Blandford Forum, Dorset just after midnight last night.
The pub - besieged by journalists - called last orders at 11pm yesterday before serving free soft drinks in the run-up to midnight.
The Railway Hotel is one of an estimated 300 pubs and bars in England and Wales to have been granted a 24-hour drinking licence.
"We're not going to be open 24 hours a day. We've got to take the children to school to start with!" said Nigel.
"What this means is that when a long darts match comes to an end, the loser will now be able to buy the winner a drink."
It emerged today that another venue to be handed a 24-hour licence was a Conservative club in Bournemouth - despite fierce Tory opposition to the new regime!
Bournemouth East Conservative Club has been granted a round-the-clock licence to sell alcohol and to host live and recorded music. Asked whether she thought the application was hypocritical, bearing in mind the party's position, a spokeswoman told The Publican: "We are not a very political club."