Old Absinthe House

Located at the corner of Bourbon and Bienville Streets, the Old Absinthe House has been around since early 19th century, and has a long history. It still bears the name of the pirate Lafitte since it is rumoured he and Andrew Jackson strategized about the battle of New Orleans on the first floor of the building. But more importantly, the bar shot to fame owing to its variety of absinthe cocktails, and is supposed to have frequented by such greats as Oscar Wilde, Mark Twain, Franklin Roosevelt, and Frank Sinatra. In the 1860s, the establishment concocted the Absinthe House Frappe, a mix of absinthe or herbsaint, anisette and soda served on crushed ice. The pale green cocktail has been seducing palates ever since and is still going strong.