The Wettest City in America
Every American city had its way of dealing with prohibition. New York built an underground speakeasy empire. Chicago waged bloody gang wars. Detroit smuggled whiskey across a frozen river. But no city treated the alcohol ban with such audacity as New Orleans. It is the only major city in the United States that simply refused to comply with the law.
When the 18th Amendment to the Constitution officially prohibited the production, sale, and transportation of alcohol nationwide on January 17, 1920, New Orleans shrugged and poured another round. A city that had lived on Mardi Gras, jazz, and café culture inherited from the French and Spanish for over two hundred years considered prohibition a temporary inconvenience – something like rain during carnival. Annoying, but not a reason to cancel the parade.
New Orleans had every reason to do so. Alcohol was not just entertainment here – it was part of the identity. The French Quarter had been a place where people openly drank on the streets since the 18th century. Creole cuisine relied on wines and liqueurs. Jazz was born in the bars and brothels of Storyville. To ban alcohol here would be like banning breathing.
New Orleans vs. the Rest of America: In 1925, there were about 30,000 speakeasies in New York and about 20,000 in Chicago. But those cities at least pretended to obey the law. In New Orleans, bars operated almost openly – it is estimated that at least 7,000 establishments served alcohol without making it a secret. The police did not intervene, the courts did not convict, and politicians openly declared that they had no intention of enforcing anything.
35 Seconds – Izzy Einstein's Record
The best measure of how wet a city New Orleans was is the story of Isidore "Izzy" Einstein – a legendary federal agent who conducted over 4,000 raids on illegal bars across the United States from 1920 to 1925. Einstein had an unusual method: in each new city, he timed how long it would take him to find a drink from the moment he left the train station or port.
His results were telling:
- Pittsburgh – 11 minutes
- Atlanta – 17 minutes
- Chicago – 21 minutes
- New York – various, from a few minutes to several hours, depending on the neighborhood
- Washington D.C. – the agent didn’t even have to look – alcohol found him first
And New Orleans? 35 seconds.
When Einstein got off the train at Union Station, he took a taxi and asked the driver where he could get a drink. The taxi driver didn’t even move – he simply pulled out a flask from under the seat and handed it to the agent. Thirty-five seconds after setting foot on New Orleans soil. Einstein didn’t have to search for a bar, give a password, or know anyone. Alcohol was waiting for him in the first vehicle he encountered.
Who was Izzy Einstein? A former postal worker from the Lower East Side of New York. He stood 5'7" tall, weighed over 220 pounds, and looked like anything but a federal agent – which was his greatest weapon. In five years of work, he seized alcohol worth $15 million (equivalent to over $250 million today). His partner, Moe Smith, was equally unassuming. Both were dismissed in 1925 – officially for "excessive press recognition." In reality, their superiors were fed up with the embarrassment they caused, proving time and again how easy it was to break the law.
A Governor Who Didn’t Care
Illegal drinking in New Orleans was not just a matter for bartenders and gangsters. It was official policy – from the governor of the state down to the last police officer on the corner.
Huey Long – "Not a damn thing"
Huey Pierce Long Jr., governor of Louisiana from 1928 to 1932 and later a U.S. senator, was one of the most influential and controversial politicians in American history. When a journalist asked him what he planned to do about enforcing prohibition in his state, Long replied with a single sentence that became legendary:
"Not a damn thing."
And he kept his word. Under his administration, Louisiana was a state where federal agents could only rely on themselves. The local police did not cooperate. State courts dismissed cases. Long openly drank in public and saw no problem with it.
The Police That Looked the Other Way
The New Orleans police treated prohibition as someone else's problem – specifically the federal government’s problem. The New Orleans Police Department simply refused to enforce the Volstead Act (the federal law implementing the 18th Amendment). The arguments were simple: the city did not have the budget to chase drunks, and residents did not want their police to deal with it.
The effect was that federal agents from the Bureau of Prohibition were the only ones conducting raids – but in a city where everyone from the judge to the doorman knew who was drinking and where, and no one cared, the effectiveness of these raids was pathetic.
The Legacy of Storyville
New Orleans had another advantage over other cities: a ready-made infrastructure for illegal entertainment. The Storyville district – officially sanctioned as a "red-light" district – operated from 1897 to 1917, when it was shut down by the U.S. Navy (too many sailors from the nearby base were staying out all night). For twenty years, Storyville developed a network of underground establishments, secret entrances, warning systems, and bribery networks that simply needed to be adapted for a new purpose after prohibition was enacted.
Moreover, jazz musicians who played in the brothels and saloons of Storyville moved to speakeasies, bringing their audience with them. Jazz and prohibition became inseparable – one fueled the other.
Cocktails from New Orleans – Where Mixology Was Born
New Orleans was not just a city that drank a lot. It was a city that drank well. Here, some of the most famous cocktails in history were created, and prohibition – paradoxically – helped cement their legend.
Sazerac – The First American Cocktail
Many historians consider the Sazerac to be the oldest cocktail in America. Its history dates back to the 1850s when pharmacist Antoine Amédée Peychaud served it in his pharmacy on Royal Street, using brandy, sugar, and his own invention – Peychaud's Bitters.
The original recipe for a Sazerac:
- An Old Fashioned glass rinsed with absinthe
- 60 ml of rye whiskey (or brandy – the original version)
- A sugar cube
- 3–4 dashes of Peychaud's Bitters
- A lemon peel expressed over the glass, but not dropped inside
During prohibition, ingredients became harder to come by, but in New Orleans, the Sazerac was still consumed – just with lower quality whiskey and homemade bitters. The cocktail survived because bartenders passed the recipe down from generation to generation, even when they officially had no right to serve it.
Ramos Gin Fizz – The Cocktail That Conquered New York
Invented in 1888 by Henry C. Ramos at his bar Imperial Cabinet Saloon, the Ramos Gin Fizz became an obsession in New Orleans. The recipe is so complicated that proper preparation requires 12 minutes of continuous shaking – Ramos employed teams of bartenders who passed the shaker like a relay.
The most absurd story related to this cocktail involves Governor Huey Long. In 1935, already a U.S. senator in Washington, Long was so dismayed that the New York Roosevelt Hotel (where he often stayed) could not make a proper Ramos Gin Fizz that he flew in a bartender from New Orleans to personally teach his New York colleagues.
Absinthe – The "Green Fairy" on the Mississippi
New Orleans was the American capital of absinthe long before prohibition. Strong cultural ties with France meant that the "Green Fairy" (La Fée Verte) arrived here earlier than anywhere else in America. The Old Absinthe House at 240 Bourbon Street – opened in 1807 – served absinthe for over a hundred years and became one of the most famous bars in the world.
Absinthe was banned in the U.S. as early as 1912 – eight years before prohibition. But in New Orleans, it was still consumed, albeit more discreetly. When it returned to favor after prohibition (the ban on absinthe was lifted in 2007), New Orleans bartenders immediately returned to it – as if they had never left.
Hurricane – The Child of Speakeasy
The Hurricane cocktail did not originate during prohibition, but its story begins in a speakeasy. Pat O'Brien, who ran one of the city's most famous speakeasies (more on that shortly), faced a problem after prohibition was lifted: alcohol distributors forced him to buy huge quantities of rum if he wanted to offer popular whiskey and bourbon. To get rid of excess rum, he invented a new cocktail – sweet, fruity, and so strong that guests ordered it again and again. He served it in a glass shaped like a hurricane lamp – hence the name.
Pat O'Brien's – From Speakeasy to Legend
If one establishment had to symbolize the history of prohibition in New Orleans, it would be Pat O'Brien's. Not because it was the largest or most exclusive – but because it transitioned from an illegal speakeasy to one of the most famous bars in the world.
The Beginnings: Mr. O'Brien's Club Tipperary
During prohibition, Benson "Pat" O'Brien ran a speakeasy called Mr. O'Brien's Club Tipperary at 605 Bourbon Street. As was typical for New Orleans speakeasies, the establishment was not particularly hidden – but to enter, one had to know the password. It was: "Storm's brewin'".
This password was not random. "Storm" in New Orleans slang referred to both a real tropical storm and legal trouble. A customer saying "a storm is brewing" communicated that they knew where they were and why they had come.
718 St. Peter Street
After prohibition was lifted in 1933, O'Brien moved the bar to 718 St. Peter Street – an address that became one of the most famous in American culinary history. The 18th-century building, with its distinctive patio and flaming fountain, became a must-visit spot on every tourist's map.
Today, Pat O'Brien's is not just one bar, but several under one roof: the main bar, a piano bar (with two pianos where musicians compete with the audience), and the famous Courtyard with a fountain that shoots flames. This is where the legendary Hurricane is served in a souvenir glass – thousands of tourists take it home each year as a keepsake.
Fun Fact: Pat O'Brien's is one of the few bars in the world that has its own glass factory. The Hurricane glass is so popular (and so often stolen) that the bar produces hundreds of thousands of them each year. Customers can either return the glass after drinking or pay a few extra dollars to take it home as a souvenir.
Antoine's Mystery Room – A Secret Since 1840
Antoine's Restaurant at 713 St. Louis Street is the oldest family-run restaurant in the United States operating under the same name – it has been in continuous operation since 1840. It is here that Oysters Rockefeller (oysters baked under a green shell of butter, parsley, and absinthe – the recipe has been a closely guarded secret since 1889) was invented.
During prohibition, the restaurant faced a dilemma: over eighty years of culinary tradition, in which wine and liqueurs played a key role, could not be reconciled with the alcohol ban. The solution was typically New Orleans – Antoine's simply did not stop serving alcohol.
The Mystery Room
At the back of the restaurant, behind what looked like an ordinary wall, was the Mystery Room – a secret room where regular customers could drink without fear of a raid. The entrance was concealed, and access was granted only to trusted guests whom the waiters knew personally. Inside, the best wines and liqueurs from the restaurant's pre-war stock were served.
Interestingly, the Mystery Room still exists today. You can have dinner there – just ask for a reservation in that specific room. It is one of the few authentic spaces from the prohibition era that has survived not as a museum but as a functioning dining establishment.
The Mafia in New Orleans
Where there is alcohol, money, and corrupt police, organized crime inevitably appears. New Orleans had the "advantage" of having the mafia long before prohibition – which meant that when the ban came into effect, the infrastructure for smuggling and distribution was already in place.
The Matranga Family – Pioneers
The Matranga family operated in New Orleans since the 1870s – it was one of the first mafia families in the United States, even before the famous "Five Families" were formed in New York. Charles Matranga controlled the port, which proved invaluable during prohibition – every ship entering the port could carry hidden alcohol.
"Silver Dollar Sam" Carolla
Silvestro "Silver Dollar Sam" Carolla (born 1896, died 1972) took control of the New Orleans mafia from the aging Matranga in the early 1920s. The nickname "Silver Dollar" came from his habit of carrying silver dollars in his pocket, which he used to pay for small favors and bribes.
Carolla built an empire based on three pillars: alcohol smuggling (mainly from the Caribbean and Mexico), gambling, and prostitution. His distribution network covered the entire Gulf Coast, from Texas to Florida. At its peak, he also controlled horse racing at the Fair Grounds – one of the oldest tracks in America.
Carlos Marcello – The Heir
Carolla's successor was Carlos Marcello (born 1910 in Tunisia as Calogero Minacore), who became the most powerful mafia boss in the American South. Marcello ruled New Orleans' underworld for over thirty years (1940s–1980s) and remains a controversial figure – his name appears in conspiracy theories regarding the assassination of President Kennedy.
It was the network built during prohibition – bribes, port contacts, corrupt politicians – that allowed Marcello to build an empire that survived decades after the alcohol ban was lifted.
What You Don’t Know About Prohibition in New Orleans
The history of prohibition in New Orleans hides facts that rarely appear in textbooks. Here are the most interesting ones:
The Last Major City to Go "Dry"
New Orleans was one of the last major cities in the U.S. to formally implement prohibition laws. And not due to a lack of legislation – the law had been in effect since January 1920. It was simply that no one intended to enforce it. When federal agents conducted raids, local courts regularly acquitted the accused. Juries made up of New Orleanians refused to convict for a crime they did not consider a crime.
The Pharmacy Loophole
Across America, doctors could prescribe alcohol for "medicinal" purposes – but nowhere was this loophole exploited as enthusiastically as in New Orleans. Local pharmacies sold "whiskey by prescription" in quantities that would suggest an epidemic of apocalyptic proportions. One doctor could write 1,000 prescriptions a month – each for a pint of whiskey. No one checked whether the patients were actually sick.
The Southern Yacht Club Loophole
Private clubs were harder to raid than public bars – agents needed a special warrant, and judges in New Orleans were reluctant to issue them. The Southern Yacht Club and other exclusive institutions exploited this status, serving alcohol to members almost openly. "Membership" in such a club could be purchased for a few dollars.
Jazz and Speakeasy – A Symbiosis
Prohibition had a huge impact on the history of jazz. Musicians who lost their jobs after the closure of legal bars and brothels in Storyville (1917) found new employers in speakeasies. Illegal bars needed entertainment to attract customers, and jazz was perfect – loud, energetic, and associated with freedom.
Louis Armstrong, born in New Orleans in 1901, grew up in a world where music and illegal bars were inextricably linked. His early performances took place in venues we would now call speakeasies. When he moved to Chicago in 1922 at the invitation of King Oliver, he played at Lincoln Gardens – a popular venue on the South Side that functioned during prohibition as a place to drink and dance.
Paradoxically, prohibition helped jazz spread. Speakeasies were everywhere – in New York, Chicago, Kansas City – and all needed musicians. The exodus of jazz musicians from New Orleans to northern cities (the so-called Great Migration of Jazz) coincided with prohibition not by chance.
Food from Speakeasy
Many dishes that are now associated with Cajun and Creole cuisine gained popularity thanks to speakeasies. Illegal bars served food to keep customers longer (and to make them drink more). Gumbo, jambalaya, po' boys, and crawfish étouffée – all these dishes found their audience in New Orleans speakeasies before becoming icons of American cuisine.
Prohibition and Carnival: Mardi Gras took place every year throughout prohibition – and every year alcohol flowed freely. Federal agents didn’t even try to intervene during carnival. With hundreds of thousands of people on the streets, in masks and costumes, identifying anyone was impossible. The Mardi Gras of 1925 went down in history as one of the "wettest" – at the same time, federal agents sat at the bar counters in dozens of French Quarter bars, drinking like everyone else.
The French Quarter – The Geography of Prohibition
The French Quarter (Vieux Carré) – the oldest district of New Orleans – was the epicenter of illegal drinking. Narrow streets, closed courtyards, 18th and 19th-century buildings with labyrinths of rooms – the architecture of the district was perfectly suited for hiding bars.
Bourbon Street
Bourbon Street, which today is synonymous with New Orleans nightlife, owes its current character largely to prohibition. Before 1920, it was a relatively quiet residential street. Only speakeasies – and after their legalization, regular bars – transformed it into the endless string of entertainment venues it is today.
Royal Street
If Bourbon Street was loud and popular, Royal Street was elegant and discreet. Here were speakeasies for wealthier clientele – hidden in antique shops, art galleries, and private apartments. This tradition has survived: today, Royal Street is considered a "cultural" alternative to the party atmosphere of Bourbon.
Tremé – The Oldest African American Neighborhood in America
Tremé, just north of the French Quarter, is the oldest African American neighborhood in the United States – and the cradle of jazz. During prohibition, Tremé was full of blind pigs (the term used for speakeasies in some parts of the country) and juke joints where jazz and blues were played. It was here that music and drink were inextricably linked – not as a luxury, but as a daily occurrence.
Contemporary Speakeasies in New Orleans
Modern New Orleans doesn’t need speakeasies – alcohol is legal, available, and celebrated more than anywhere else in America. But the tradition of hidden bars from the prohibition era has revived in the form of carefully designed establishments that combine historical aesthetics with modern mixology.
Twelve Mile Limit
Address: 500 S. Telemachus St, Mid-City
The name comes from the 12 nautical mile zone – the distance from shore beyond which American law did not apply. Ships with alcohol (the so-called Rum Row) anchored just beyond this line, and smaller boats brought the goods ashore. Twelve Mile Limit is a bar in the Mid-City neighborhood, away from the touristy French Quarter. Craft cocktails at reasonable prices, a friendly atmosphere, and regular themed events. Ideal for the first drink of the evening.
Jewel of the South
Address: 1026 St. Louis St, French Quarter
Recreated by Chris Hannah, a legendary bartender from Arnaud's French 75 Bar, one of the best cocktail bartenders in America. The venue is located in a restored 19th-century building and specializes in historic cocktails recreated from original recipes – including versions of drinks that were served in New Orleans before prohibition. The menu changes seasonally, but you will always find the perfect Sazerac here.
Cure
Address: 4905 Freret St, Uptown
Opened in 2009 in a restored 19th-century firehouse, Cure was the first craft cocktail bar in New Orleans outside the French Quarter. It sparked the "cocktail renaissance" in the city and proved that a good drink doesn’t have to be served on Bourbon Street. High ceilings, brick walls, minimalist decor – the aesthetic is decidedly far from tourist kitsch.
The Double Dealer
Address: 129 Roosevelt Way (inside Orpheum Theater)
Hidden inside the historic Orpheum Theater – a cinema and concert hall from 1918, which is an architectural gem in itself. The name comes from a New Orleans literary magazine from the 1920s, where William Faulkner and Ernest Hemingway published. The interior is in Art Deco style, with cocktails inspired by literature and the history of the city. The venue is small – reservations are required.
Bar Tonique
Address: 820 N. Rampart St, Tremé
On the border of the French Quarter and Tremé – in the heart of the historic jazz district. Bar Tonique is a neighborhood bar with craft cocktails, repeatedly voted as one of the best cocktail bars in the South. No reservations, no dress code, no pretensions – but with cocktails on par with the best hotel bars. A great alternative for those looking to escape the crowds on Bourbon Street.
Compère Lapin
Address: 535 Tchoupitoulas St, Warehouse District (inside Old No. 77 Hotel)
A restaurant and bar run by Nina Compton – an award-winning chef from Saint Lucia in the Caribbean. Cocktails combine Caribbean and Creole traditions – rum, citrus, spices – in combinations you won’t find anywhere else. The name "Compère Lapin" refers to a character from Creole folklore – a cunning rabbit, the equivalent of Br'er Rabbit.
Latitude 29
Address: 321 N. Peters St, French Quarter
A tiki bar created by Jeff "Beachbum" Berry – a historian of tiki culture and author of several books on tropical cocktails. Latitude 29 refers to the latitude of New Orleans. The interior transports guests to a tropical island – with Polynesian decor, shell lamps, and cocktails served in ceramic tiki mugs. Ideal for an evening when you want to escape history and dive into pure entertainment.
The New Orleans Difference: Unlike New York or Chicago, contemporary speakeasies in New Orleans don’t have to pretend to be hidden. In a city where alcohol can be legally consumed on the street (the famous "go cups" – plastic cups you can take out of the bar), there’s no need for false walls and secret passwords. Here, speakeasies focus more on quality and atmosphere than on the theater of mystery. These are bars you go to for a really good drink, not for an Instagram photo with a hidden entrance.
Tips for Visitors
Walking Tour: Prohibition History of the French Quarter
Start at Bourbon Street at the Old Absinthe House (240 Bourbon) – where absinthe was consumed a hundred years before and after prohibition. Head east to Royal Street, passing antique shops that hid elegant speakeasies during prohibition. Turn onto St. Louis Street to Antoine's (713) – ask for the Mystery Room. Return to St. Peter Street to Pat O'Brien's (718) – a must-have Hurricane on the patio. Finally, walk to N. Rampart Street and Bar Tonique on the border of Tremé. The whole route is about 2 km – but with stops for cocktails, it will take you the whole evening.
Best Times to Visit
- Tuesday–Thursday – fewer tourists, better service, easier to get a reservation
- Early evening (5:00 PM–7:00 PM) – "happy hour" at many venues, bartenders have time to chat
- Sunday – the tradition of "Sunday brunch with cocktails" is sacred in New Orleans
- Avoid Mardi Gras and Jazzfest – unless you want crowds. Bars are then packed, and prices skyrocket
What to Avoid
- Hand grenades and frozen daiquiris from machines on Bourbon Street – these are tourist traps, not cocktails
- Bars with hustlers on Bourbon Street – if someone has to invite you from the street, the quality is probably questionable
- Walking alone at night outside the French Quarter and Warehouse District – New Orleans has beautiful but also dangerous neighborhoods
Food and Drink – Pair Them!
In New Orleans, cocktails and food go hand in hand. Plan your evening to combine bars with famous Creole cuisine:
- Sazerac pairs perfectly with gumbo – a spicy cocktail for a spicy soup
- Ramos Gin Fizz is a classic brunch drink – order it with eggs Benedict or beignets
- Hurricane tastes best outdoors – take it "to go" with a shrimp po' boy from a nearby stand
- Absinthe should be tried at the Old Absinthe House – on an empty stomach to feel the full flavor, and then have oysters at Antoine's
Practical Information
- "Go cups" – New Orleans allows drinking alcohol on the street, but it must be in a plastic cup (not glass or cans). When you leave the bar, ask for a "go cup"
- Tips – minimum $1–2 for beer, $2–3 for cocktails, 20% on an open tab. Bartenders in New Orleans are among the best in the world – appreciate them
- Dress code – casual in most bars. Exceptions: Arnaud's French 75, The Sazerac Bar at the Roosevelt Hotel
- St. Charles Streetcar – the most beautiful way to get from the French Quarter to Uptown bars (Cure). It costs $1.25 and travels under ancient oaks
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