Absinthe House, New Orleans

the old absinthe house is located in a 1807 historic building on bourbon street. the original old absinthe house opened as alex's coffee house saloon in 1815. the old absinthe house is one of the oldest bars in new orleans. it is rumored that the pirate jean lafitte met with general andrew jackson at the old absinthe house just prior to the battle of new orleans. the old absinthe house is named after a liquor that is made from wormwood. absinthe was banned in the united states in 1912 because of it's narcotic qualities. the old absinthe house is a fun place to drink and listen to live music on bourbon street.

Dress Code: casual.

We were walking toward Bourbon Street and when we turned the corner, there was a street party, with music and everyone outside drinking - it was the Old Absinthe House. I was really surprised because I had not realized that the partying and drinking in the streets took place outside of Mardi Gras.

The Old Absinthe House is apparently still in operation.

The Rue Bourbon website says:
In 1815, the ground floor was converted into a saloon known as "Aleix's Coffee House" .. This coffee house was later rechristened "The Absinthe Room" when mixologist Cayetano Ferrer created the famous Absinthe House Frappe here in 1874. (now made with Herbsaint)

To this day, The Old Absinthe House still has the decorative marble fountains that were used to drip cool water over sugar cubes into glasses of Absinthe.

The original Old Absinthe House bar was to be destroyed at the start of Prohibition - as a powerful message to proprietors and others that Absinthe was to be abolished from the United States and would not be tolerated.

Fortunately, the bar was removed from the Absinthe House and moved under cover of darkness to a warehouse on Bourbon street in order to save it. (This warehouse became known as "The Absinthe House Bar" until the actual bar was returned to its home in early 2004. It is now known as the Mango, Mango daiquiri shop.)...

The building now houses Tony Moran's Restaurant and Jean Lafitte Bistro .. and the front room is still the tavern known as Jean Lafitte's Old Absinthe House!

The Old Absinthe House website says

..no visit is complete with out leaving your card on the wall with the millions of others who have given testimony to the Old Absinthe House’s motto “EVERYONE YOU HAVE KNOWN OR EVER WILL KNOW, EVENTUALLY ENDS UP AT THE OLD ABSINTHE HOUSE”

A smaller little bar off Bourbon street where you can grab a cheap beer and sit at the bar stool to watch people go buy. The place is a bit trashy, but that makes it perfect for get out of the hot sun drinking.

Dress Code: Naked like a llama.

This is one of the more famous drinking taverns in French Quarter history. Back in the days of writers and artists (circa 1800s), this bar was reknown for its addictive (and potentially toxic, now illegal) absinthe drink - "the green muse". Pastis and herbsaint have since replaced the absinthe, but the spirit of magic still lives on here.

Try the Absinthe House Frappe or the Ramos Gin Fizz, both for which the place is famous.

Dress Code: Casual

This Old Absinthe House was built in 1806. The other location is called the Jean Lafitte's Old Absinthe House Bar and created in 1807. I am confused as to the history of the two and I honestly do not know which one has the historical significance. Anyway, the original location was a "corner grocery store" of sorts, turned coffee shop, turned liquor bar.

It is interesting to note that Absinthe is a liquor made basically from wormwood. It is said to have a bitter, licorice flavor and is greenish/chartreuse in color. It was served by mixing cool water that dripped onto sugar cubes and then into a glass of Absinthe. Unfortunately, the wormwood used for making Absinthe had narcotic properties, and the consumption of it was associated with hallucinations, delirium, madness and even death. Concequently it was outlawed in the United States.

This bar is now a daquiri and pizza eatery.

Dress Code: Casual

Jean Lafitte's Old Absinthe House Bar was built in 1807. The other location is called the Old Absinthe House and was created in 1806. I am confused as to the history of the two and I honestly do not know which one has the historical significance. Anyway, the original location was a "corner grocery store" of sorts, turned coffee shop, turned liquor bar.

It is interesting to note that Absinthe is a liquor made basically from wormwood. It is said to have a bitter, licorice flavor and is greenish/chartreuse in color. It was served by mixing cool water that dripped onto sugar cubes and then into a glass of Absinthe. Unfortunately, the wormwood used for making Absinthe had narcotic properties, and the consumption of it was associated with hallucinations, delirium, madness and even death. Concequently it was outlawed in the United States.

This house has live entertainment at the main bar, fine dining on the second floor, and a pasta restaurant on the first.

Dress Code: casual to elegant.

This bar has been around since 1807, but it was in 1874 that it became legendary. That was the year that bartender Cayetano Ferrer created what would become the bar's most famous concoction, the Absinthe Frappe. "What is absinthe?" you ask. Well, here's an excerpt from gumbopages.com: "Absinthe is a strong herbal liqueur distilled with a great number of flavorful herbs like anise, licorice, hyssop, veronica, fennel, lemon balm, angelica and wormwood (the flavor of anise and/or licorice, at least in contemporary forms of the liquor, tends to predominate). Wormwood, the one that's gained the most notoriety, is Artemisia absinthum, an herb that grows wild in Europe and has been cultivated in the United States as well. Much of the liquor's legendary effect is due to its extremely high alcohol content, ranging from 50% to 75% (usually around 60%), plus the contribution of the various herbs. It has been assumed by many that the so-called "active ingredient" in absinthe is wormwood, although that is apparently not really the case."

Dress Code: Come as you are. I stopped in for an Absinthe Frappe and ended up staying too long talking with the bartender and a guy from Maryland and being entertained by the occasional disturbance caused by a homeless guy who kept coming in for a drink. The place is very open to Bourbon Street with multiple doors that are always flung open to the street. I loved it because you don't feel like you're missing out on the action outside while you're having a drink inside.

Over the years, the Old Absinthe House has flourished into one of New Orleans most prominent and popular taverns. Each year millions of visitors stop by to have an "Absinthe House Frappe" or perhaps a Sazerac or Ramos Gin Fizz.

Dress Code: casual