The current iteration of the Sazerac Bar was opened in 1949 when the Roosevelt Hotel’s manager Seymour Weiss bought the recipe to the Peychaud’s original Sazerac cocktail and moved the bar into the hotel. Peychaud mixed the brandy with his own patented herbal bitters and the drink grew in popularity over the next decade.Īround 1850, Aaron Bird began selling a Peychaud’s drink using only his bitters and the Sazerac brandy from the Merchants Exchange Coffee House – Bird changed the name of the shop to the Sazerac Coffee House in 1852. New Orleans’ signature drink was invented in the early 1840s by druggist (pharmacist) Antoine Peychaud, who named the new drink after his favorite French brandy, the Sazerac-de-Forge et fil.
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The Sazerac Bar, which has been residing in New Orleans’ iconic Roosevelt Hotel since 1949, was named after what is considered America’s first cocktail, the Sazerac. 1853 – moved to the Roosevelt Hotel in 1949 In addition to brunch, Tujague’s is also credited with creating two famous cocktails, the Grasshopper and Whiskey Punch. In order to pick up the spillover, Guillame started offering what he called the “butcher’s breakfast”, which was served a little later in the day to entice customers who were unable to eat at Begue’s. The restaurant was first opened in 1856 by Guillame Tujague, a butcher who had immigrated from France a few years earlier with his wife Marie.Īccording to Tujague’s history, Guillame created what is now known as brunch after he realized that customers were often turned away from the nearby restaurant Begue’s Exchange due to its small dining room. The interior and vibe of the new Little Gem Saloon reflects its early 20 th century history and the menu features dishes served in New Orleans in the early 1900s.ĭue to its long long history and presence in New Orleans, Tujague’s has earned several claims to fame – Tujague’s is one of the oldest continuously operating dining institutions in the United States, the birthplace of brunch, and home to the oldest standup bar in the country. However, the Little Gem Saloon was finally reopened in late 2012 after a $5 million renovation. The Little Gem Saloon was left to rot, but interest in reviving the building and the surrounding area started in 2006 – plans stopped for a while when the 2008 recession hit. Following this, the space was once again turned into a jazz lounge that continued to operate throughout the 1950s.Įventually, the Little Gem Saloon and the surrounding area faced hard times and several businesses began to close. From 1926 – 1949, the building was used as a loan office, where musicians came to hang out and pawn and buy instruments.
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The Little Gem Saloon was first opened in 1903 by Frank Daroux and was frequented by legendary jazz musicians such as Louis Armstrong and Buddy Bolden. National Register of Historic Places for its significance as a center of New Orleans music tradition. Photo source: Flickr via Infrogmation of New OrleansĪlthough the Little Gem Saloon spent decades unused and rotting before it was revived in 2012, the jazz lounge/bar holds a special place in New Orleans music history – the building is listed in the U.S. He gave me a very limp handshake, like a dead fish, and mumbled something incoherently, which kind of grossed me out, and almost fell down in the process.Previously Used As: Jazz lounge loan office
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As I neared him I could see he was very, very drunk but I introduced myself anyway. Another time I saw Tennessee Williams standing by the flame. My I buy you a drink?’ And he responded, ‘Only if you sit and have one with us.’ He was so sweet, not at all bitchy like some have said. I approached him and said, ‘I don’t mean to come on to you but I’ve always admired your work. “One evening I saw Truman Capote sitting at the bar talking with someone. The story goes that they set fire to their former business in another state and used the insurance money to buy Lafitte’s.”īoth Tennessee Williams and Truman Capote used to frequent the bar. A later owner of the bar declared the flame was a tribute to arson-arson that enabled him and his lover to buy Café Lafitte’s. In the early years, the flame also served as a fountain but that function ceased when drunken barflies began using it as a urinal. One common story claims the flame is a memorial to the original regular crowd’s (and by extension, future generations of drinking gays) status as ‘exiles….
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“The story behind the eternal flame, like much of the history of the bar-indeed, New Orleans herself-is shrouded in mystery and mythology. Café Lafitte in Exile is the oldest continuously operating gay bar in the United States.