On 7/8/2009, the New Orleans Times-Picayune (
visit link) ran the following story:
"The Old Absinthe House
By Stephanie Bruno, The Times-Picayune
on July 08, 2009 at 7:46 PM, updated July 08, 2014 at 10:12 PM
Although absinthe is legal again in the United States (for decades it was outlawed), the Old Absinthe House still exudes an aura of the forbidden because of its association with the notorious anise-flavored spirit. Located in a centuries old building at the corner of Bourbon and Bienville, the bar showcases a marble Absinthe fountain that serves as a reminder of the late 1870s when it was "The Absinthe Room" and Spanish mixologist Cayetano Ferrer invented the "Absinthe House Frappe" under its roof. The legend that Jean Lafitte met in this spot in secret with Gen. Andrew Jackson to plan the Battle of New Orleans adds to the allure.
The place is steeped in history. The building itself is more than 200 years old. In 1874, mixologist Cayetano Ferrer created a drink featuring absinthe, called the Old Absinthe House Frappe. Thanks to the influx of a now-legal version of absinthe -- the spirit was outlawed in the United States from 1912 to 2007, so the bar used herbsaint -- you can get one the way it was meant to be made in its namesake bar.
Helmets and jerseys of many football legends hang from the rafters above the copper-topped wooden bar. It's bustling at all hours. (At 7 a.m., you'll find locals, just getting off work at other bars or hotels, perched on the barstools.) An antique absinthe fountain sits in place of pride on the front corner of the bar. You can enjoy the real thing or a taste-alike, such as Pernod, Herbsaint, Pastis. They're all here.
Tip: The house special, the Absinthe House Frappe, is an acquired taste: Herbsaint (an absinthe substitute made in New Orleans), anisette and soda water, poured over a glass of crushed ice.
Location: 240 Bourbon St., 504.523.3181
Hours: Daily.
Parking: Street or nearby pay lots.
Prices: Beer, $5-$7; wine by the glass, $7-$9; cocktails, $8-up.
Crowd: The place hums with visitors and locals nearly at all hours (if the place is crowded, bartenders say that closing times are irrelevant)."