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Many decades after Repeal Day, the original bar from the Old Absinthe House was returned to its 240 Bourbon Street home in early 2004 and currently resides in the adjacent, speakeasy-style cocktail bar, Belle Époque. The Old Absinthe House is an exercise in endurance and the convergence of past and present. The decorative marble fountains that were used to drip cool water into glasses of Absinthe in the 1800s have also found a new life in Belle Époque.
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Another O’Brien’s touch that Brennan imitated was the paralyzing signature drink. As for O’Brien’s craps-shooting, underage drinkers and occasional riot, there Brennan drew the line. In the early 20th century, an alarmist report by a puritanical medical doctor that said absinthe was as dangerous as opium, and an increasingly virulent temperance movement seemingly spelled the end for Absinthe House. Once the Prohibition went into effect in 1920, Absinthe House was converted into a speakeasy that served bootleg liquor to savvy guests until the sale of alcohol was legalized again in 1933. For almost 200 years the Old Absinthe House bar has been a staple of life in the Vieux Carré.
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The outlaw was Jean Lafitte, a pirate operating out of the Gulf of Mexico who had recently suffered a defeat at the hands of the United States Navy, losing several of his ships to the government in the process. The general was Andrew Jackson, who had come to New Orleans to prepare the city for its critical role as the final battleground in the War of 1812, and found it woefully unprepared. In a turn of true irony, Lafitte’s ships sat empty in the harbor, without enough skilled sailors to man them.
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Where the American’s lost only 60 men, the British lost around 2,000. Both men were trying to gain the upper hand in the bargain, and both had a lot to lose. Jean was facing imprisonment and possible execution for his crimes. Jackson was looking at the possibility of the British establishing a foothold on American soil. Jackson would clearly walk away from the bigger loser if no deal was made, but Lafitte wasn’t going to lose his livelihood or his life. Jean made a simple request that he and his men receive a presidential pardon for their crimes.
Locals say that he hangs on the second floor, where he had his legendary meeting with Andrew Jackson. But not only will you find Lafitte, but you’ll find his entire crew here also. He’s said to be quite the party animal, throwing some extravagant ghost parties with his men. Staff and guests have heard snippets of raucous laughter and the sound of beer mugs and glasses falling over. Witnesses say it’s like walking by an open door, peering to the past.
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These apparitions are often accompanied by spots of cold air that send chills down your spine. The ghosts are also blamed for some strange things that are known to happen around the Absinthe House. Customers might hear unexplained whispers in their ears. Bottles and chairs are moved around the bar when nobody’s looking.
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Cuba Gooding Jr Wanted After Old Absinthe House Fight.
Posted: Wed, 01 Aug 2012 07:00:00 GMT [source]
There were a few pieces of memorabilia—mostly placards for old New Orleans drinks nobody was going to order and no bartender was going to make—tacked up on the walls, high enough to not get stolen or written on, and business cards everywhere (no cash). There was a marble absinthe fountain, but there were no glasses of the green fairy placed under its spigots waiting to receive the slow drip that called her to life. There was Bud and Bud Light, there was Jack and there was Coke. In 1806, two men from Spain rebuilt the bar, beginning a legacy that would last centuries. Pedro Front and Francisco Juncadelia were former grocers who made a small fortune importing fine wine and tobacco products.
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This trendy Williamsburg bar has the biggest absinthe selection in NYC (and an even bigger wait time if you don’t make a reservation). Inspired by hotel lobbies and Parisian cafes, the bar’s white marble surfaces and secret garden backyard will transport you to a destination far away as you enjoy your favorite glass of the green stuff. Signature absinthe cocktails and more than 30 types of oysters will have you sipping and slurping for hours. Once home to the wealthy lumber baron David Whitney Jr, this 1890s mansion has been transformed into a charming bar, restaurant and event space that will make you feel like part of the 19th century upper echelon.
Though at first glance, one might be easily fooled by the football memorabilia and business cards that line the walls. Many of the well-known patrons of the Absinthe House still swing by, even in the afterlife. When the bar reopened in December, it was a different place.
Absinthe was all the rage in late nineteenth century because it was believed to have hallucinogenic properties. Famous bohemians such as occultist Aleister Crowley flocked to the Absinthe House to spend hours dreaming up new creative projects while sipping on the infamous bright green spirit. Today, the interior of the building has the same musty brick walls, the same ornate wooden fixtures, and the same water-dripping fountains for serving absinthe as it did when a pirate and a general passed through its doors to discuss their plans to secure a nation’s future.
Some say it’s Jean Lafitte still having fun in the afterlife. For a guy who had never owned a bar before, Owen Brennan had impressive instincts. Sure, there would still be music, but it wouldn’t be the anonymous dance band shit Marchese had been putting on. One of the most celebrated and enduring watering holes in the Big Easy is without a doubt Jean Lafitte’s Old Absinthe House. The Old Absinthe House is located in an ornate white building on Bourbon Street, which was once a bustling neighborhood grocery store.
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