Made with Cognac, bitters, sugar, and herbsaint, Sazerac ( Saz-er-ack) quickly became a hit and has turned into the Official Drink of New Orleans. "Old 'Absinthe House' To Go" (3 of 3): This drawing of the Old Absinthe House appeared alongside the 1912 Kansas City Star article, with a caption reading: "The Ancient 'Absinthe House' of New Orleans, Which May Be Forced to Close.About Sazerac: In the mid-1800s a Creole man named Antoine Peychaud started selling his own medicinal elixir with the promise of health benefits. The Judge ruled, "Legend means nothing more than hearsay or a story handed down from the past."Ĭourtesy of the Times-Picayune "Old 'Absinthe House' To Go" (1 of 3): 1912 passage of a federal law that prohibited the trade of absinthe is depicted as the "death knell" of the New Orleans institution. Jackson, on a Division of the British Army commanded by Major General Kean on the evening of the 23 December 1814 unidentified maker.Ĭourtesy of the Collections of the Louisiana State Museum Newspaper Article:: Absinthe was declared to be “bad for health,” according to this 1912 newspaper article.Ĭourtesy of the Times-Picayune Old Absinthe House closes for a period: According to this 1913 newspaper article, the Old Absinthe House allegedly closed for a period after absinthe was banned in 1912.Ĭourtesy of The Times-Picayune Lawsuit between Maspero's and the Old Absinthe House: 1951 newspaper article announces the dismissal of the lawsuit between Maspero's and the Old Absinthe House regarding the location of a meeting between General Andrew Jackson and Jean Lafitte. General Jackson is said to have met with Jean Lafitte in secret at the Old Absinthe House.Ĭourtesy of the Collections of the Louisiana State Museum Battle Map, adaptation of A. Illinois Central Railroad Andrew Jackson: by John Vanderlyn, engraving, c. General Andrew Jackson and Jean Lafitte allegedly met in a room on the second floor prior to the Battle of New Orleans. The Absinthe House is visible between Bourbon and Royal Street, in the top left corner of the French Quarter.Ĭourtesy of the Louisiana State Museum The Old Absinthe House, 1900: Absinthe drinks, including absinthe frappe, were served until the United States government banned absinthe on October 1, 1912.ĭetroit Publishing Company The Old Absinthe House, 1909: Electric streetcars passed in front of the Old Absinthe House in the early 1900s, as the tracks and electric overhead in the foreground indicate. Library of Congress Nouvelle Orleans depicted as it may have appeared in 1802: Created by Mrs. Media Images Absinthe House bar, 1900: Few images survive depicting the interior of the famous bar during this period. In February 1951, a Judge in Civil District Court, Parish of Orleans, State of Louisiana, dismissed Maspero’s lawsuit, ruling: “Legend means nothing more than hearsay or a story handed down from the past.” Both Maspero’s and Old Absinthe House still lay claim to the legend. Both establishments claimed to be the location where Andrew Jackson had met with Jean Lafitte. The owner of Maspero’s Exchange at 440 Chartres Street filed suit against the Old Absinthe House over the right to post the historical plaque on the building. The Battle of New Orleans was fought Jan. Claiborne met here with Jean Lafitte on the secret floor to plan for the defense of New Orleans. Legend has it that Andrew Jackson and Gov. In 1950, the Old Absinthe House installed a commemorative plaque, stating: “Old Absinthe House. Legend suggests that Major General Andrew Jackson conferred with privateer Jean Lafitte in a secret chamber on the second floor of the Old Absinthe House prior to the Battle of New Orleans. Government banned the importation and sale of absinthe, alleging it was “dangerous to health.” Interstate shipment of the beverage was prohibited since it contained “wormwood, or absinthe (artemisia absinthium), an added deleterious ingredient.” Prohibition of absinthe was predicted to be the Old Absinthe House’s “death knell.” In the nineteenth century, the Old Absinthe House became famous for its cocktail, the absinthe frappe, also known as the “green monster,” a mixture of absinthe and sugar water. The Old Absinthe House, a stucco building at the corner of Bourbon and Bienville Streets, is one of the oldest structures in New Orleans, dating to approximately 1806. By Mary Ann Wegmann, Louisiana State Museum & University of New Orleans History Department Text
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