Bar: Old Absinthe House
Location: 240 Bourbon St New Orleans, LA 70112
Score: 9.3/10
Old Absinthe House has been in Nola since 1807. This makes it one of the oldest bars in the city. This historic bar is in a prime location on Bourbon St. In a city with a million different bar options, I hope WeRateBars can steer you to the right bars and away from the crappy ones on Bourbon St.
The Old Absinthe House should be a top priority if you are visiting Bourbon St. Before we get into the review, let me explain what Absinthe is, for those who don’t know. Absinthe is a liquor that is banned in the U.S. for having a compound called Thujone, this is a psychedelic that has the effects linked to LSD and Marijuana. This liquor is notable for its strong black liquor taste. While the Old Absinthe House cannot sell the real stuff, they have a high-quality legal version without Thujone that tastes very similar. Image an easier-to-drink Jaegermeister. That’s what it tastes like. If you want to get your hands on the real stuff you’ll have to take a trip to Europe.
Alright, now for the bar review. Right when you walk into the bar you notice the hanging football helmets from the ceiling. These helmets are very old and hang around the bar top itself. The bar top is a nice brown stone with very weathered wood on the bar. They do not make bars like this anymore, immediately telling the age of the Old Absinthe House. Around the walls of the bars is when the decor gets interesting. You notice business cards plastered all over the walls. While we have visited bars with cash on the walls to an overwhelming amount of signage, this is the first time we have come across business cards on the wall. This quirky theme is memorable and gives a unique factor to the Old Absinthe House.
Much like most bars in Nola, the beers are cheap. If you elect for a mock-absinthe drink they have those as well. Using the liquor that tastes like absinthe but does not have the effects that some of you may desire.
Decor: unique with the business cards on the wall. Very open environment. A bar you could spend all day watching football.
Price: fair prices. All the bars directly on Bourbon are priced about the same.
Service: A++ service. The server was great during our visit and made sure all my friends always had drinks.
Atmosphere: Great atmosphere. A bar you can go to all hours of the day and have fun.
Cleanliness: As far as Bourbon St. bars go this bar is very clean. Some of the Bourbon St. bars lack in this category.
Bonus points: The rarest of the bonus point category. Folks we have a trough sighting! While I didn’t think this beautiful bar could get any better, I was wrong.