Jean Lafitte’s Old Absinthe House

The Old Absinthe House is rightfully a place you should come to check out the historic bar, rather than drink at it, as the customer base is of the bottom-shelf Bourbon St sort. Here’s the skinny: this historic spot was opened in 1807. A number of bars in New Orleans, including this one, served absinthe before it was outlawed in 1914. The mysterious beverage had a psychotropic allure – wormwood was the active ingredient – but it allegedly sent enthusiasts to the loony bin. Today, Herbsaint, a locally produced anisette, is a relatively safe stand-in for old absinthe-based drinks.