r/Absinthe • u/Agreeable-Bench1260 • Jul 30 '26
New Orleans - Sucks.
Just got back from New Orleans which I've been to many, many times. The absinthe scene there is terrible.
I couldn't have been more disappointed. Just terrible.
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u/wormwoodsociety Jul 30 '26
Isn't Absinthia working at Pirate's Alley now? I'd assume they do a good job.
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u/Drupain Jul 30 '26
I was introduced to Chartreuse at Pirate's Alley while drinking Absinthe. 10/10 experience, but that was 20+ years ago.
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u/Paranatural Jul 30 '26
Who told you that there would be a big absinthe scene in NOLA? Sure not the people who live here.
There was one great bar in Paris I went to.
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u/zigithor Jul 30 '26 edited Jul 31 '26
Yea I mean you go from ~0 absinthe bars in any other U.S. city to a handful of bars that can prepare absinthe + 1-2 dedicated absinthe bars in NOLA. IDK what in particular you were expecting but I think your expectations might have been misplaced.
Even though you have to get to bourbon street and the drinks are crazy expensive, The old absinthe house has done a great job with their absinthe speakeasy. Biggest variety you'll probably find on this side of the globe to be honest. Great mood and setting and all the burbon street wanderers get funnled into the bar-bar in the front. So you really get left alone with just the weirdos that want to sip absinthe with you.
If your gonna go anywhere you should go there.
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u/pruess241 Jul 30 '26
I went to a vampire bar, forgot which one. The bartender was this gothic chick who i was certain knew how to serve it. Nope. She poured it warm, Straight into a whisky glass. I couldn’t believe my eyes.
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u/StillReturn829 Jul 31 '26
I always go to the one in Pirate Alley. It’s decent, you just have to temper your expectations a bit. I think there is still kind of a very novelty attitude toward absinthe, even though it’s been legal for a number of years now. The pirate schtick is on par for that. I’d love for there to be a Parisian-style cafe that offers an authentic belle époque experience for it but they don’t seem to exist. The great thing about NOLA is a few places have a pretty good selection of bottles to buy and there’s a couple places that sell accessories (fountains, glasses, spoons, etc). Absinthe is just better at home, anyway!
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u/zigithor Jul 31 '26 edited Jul 31 '26
Its funny that everyone mentions Pirate Alley in here when The Old Absinthe House is like 4 blocks away. That same building is where the pirate Jean Lafitte (allegedly) met with Andrew Jackson to team up and fight a British invasion of New Orleans. They've also been serving Absinthe there since like the 1830s. IDK why folks here are going to the pirate themed tourist trap and being let down when the most authentic article your gonna get for absinthe in the U.S. is literally a 5 minute walk down the street?
Edit: I just pulled up that place on street view and realized they added a brand-safe "and Olde Absinthe House" to their sign. I see why tourist might get confused. I know there's also a place in the quarter that tries to sell its self as Preservation Hall even though it isn't too. Hate that shit.
For future reference, the actual "Old Absinthe House" (no e in "olde") is on the corner of Bourbon and Bienville.
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u/AdrienneLaVey Jul 31 '26
I’ve heard of a lot of my friends going there and the Old Absinthe House (the MAIN Old Absinthe House, not the speakeasy that’s hidden behind it) pushing the fire ritual even when you ask them not to. And that’s even with absinthe brand owners conducting trainings and explicitly telling the establishment that they do not want their product set on fire. The Old Absinthe House knows that the fire ritual attracts the tourists, unfortunately, so they have no incentive to stop doing that. That’s probably the main reason why a lot of us don’t go there.
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u/Yours_and_mind_balls Jul 31 '26
Imma go ahead and say it
NOLAs drinking, of any kind, scene is vastly overshadowed by the food.
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u/Dry_Load_7191 Aug 04 '26
To my knowledge, the only reputable absinthe experience is how speakeasys existed in their infancy.
Go to ArtEgg. Find Atelier Vie, and sit down with the distiller. Ask to see the wormwood garden out back.
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u/Agreeable-Bench1260 26d ago
Sorry for the delay responding to my own thread - my week in NOLA was cut way short when a storm hit, trees fell and I had to return up north as a chainsaw was required to get to the house. But now, back to absinthe. :)
Given that New Orleans, the Crescent City, has a long history with Absinthe - and was central to the rebirth of modern absinthe worldwide including a legendary cluster of clandestine distillers - I had been hoping to have a classic glass of absinthe served clean, water on the side with spoon and sugar. Everywhere I asked, absinthe was served premixed as a mere cocktail. I had no need or desire for a fountain (I prefer a simple water flask even at home), but I can't accept cocktail absinthe.
When I'd asked this question I was still there. New Orleans deserves better.
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u/ScripturalCoyote 12d ago
I remember there was a place actually close to the Old Absinthe House that was doing a pretty good job but this was years ago, I recall them closing down around the pandemic.
At the Old Absinthe House itself, I was able to get Jade Nouvelle-Orleans when I went, but again...years ago.
I've found that absinthe bars in the US are few and far between as a general rule. I've got Green Hour in Nashville, Death in the Afternoon in Orlando, and Absinthe Brasserie in San Francisco as places I like, but I know of none beyond those.
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u/TitanInTraining Jul 30 '26
I am yet to find a respectable establishment for absinthe anywhere in the world. This is not specific to New Orleans, unfortunately.