Pat O'Brien's Bar

Pat O'Brien's Bar is a historic drinking and entertainment venue in New Orleans, Louisiana, associated especially with the French Quarter and with the Hurricane cocktail. The establishment began operating as a legal liquor business on December 3, 1933, following the repeal of Prohibition-era restrictions. Its early predecessor operated during Prohibition under the name Mr. O'Brien's Club Tipperary. Entry reportedly required the password "storm's brewin'," reflecting the discreet operating conditions of the period. The bar initially operated at the intersection of Royal and St. Peter streets. In December 1942 it moved to 718 St. Peter Street, its current principal location, occupying a historic building dating to 1791. The venue developed a distinctive identity around its French Quarter setting, courtyard, live entertainment, and signature drinks. Its courtyard flaming fountain became one of its best-known visual features, while the piano bar became associated with two performers taking song requests in a dueling-piano format. The venue is often credited with having one of the earliest, or the first, examples of this style of piano-bar entertainment, although the exact historical priority is difficult to establish independently. Pat O'Brien's is most closely identified with the Hurricane cocktail. The drink is generally attributed to the bar's bartenders during the 1940s. A commonly reported origin story connects its creation to wartime shortages: during World War II, shortages of imported Scotch and other whiskey allegedly encouraged liquor distributors to sell large quantities of rum as a condition of obtaining limited supplies of whiskey. Faced with excess rum, the bar developed a fruit-based rum drink and served it in a glass shaped like a hurricane lamp. The cocktail subsequently became a New Orleans drinking institution and a central part of the Pat O'Brien's brand. The business has remained family associated. The Oechsner family took over operations in 1978, with George Oechsner Jr. serving as general manager and his son Sonny participating as a proprietor. By 2018, third-generation family member Shelly Oechsner Waguespack was reported to be running the bar. The brand has also operated locations outside New Orleans, including venues at Universal Orlando's CityWalk in Orlando, Florida, and in San Antonio, Texas. These extensions have allowed the brand to present its New Orleans-inspired drinks and entertainment format to visitors beyond the original French Quarter site. In addition to its hospitality role, Pat O'Brien's functions as a recognizable New Orleans cultural landmark. Its exterior and interior have appeared or been referenced in television programming, including Impractical Jokers, Family Guy, NCIS: New Orleans, and Trailer Park Boys: Out of the Park USA. The business is therefore positioned less as a conventional national bar chain than as a destination hospitality brand built around place, tradition, recognizable cocktails, live music, and the mythology of New Orleans nightlife.

Pat O'Brien's Bar traces its identity to New Orleans during the Prohibition era. Before it became a legal liquor establishment, the venue was reportedly known as Mr. O'Brien's Club Tipperary. Because alcohol sales were illegal, entry was controlled by a password, remembered as "storm's brewin'." This pre-legal period became part of the establishment's later mythology and contributed to its image as a long-standing French Quarter drinking institution. The business began operating legally on December 3, 1933, after the end of Prohibition. Its first legal location was at Royal and St. Peter streets in the French Quarter. In December 1942 the bar moved to 718 St. Peter Street, where it occupied a historic building dating from 1791. The move established the address that would become most closely associated with the Pat O'Brien's name. During the 1940s, the bar developed the drink now known as the Hurricane. The commonly circulated account places the invention within the context of World War II supply constraints. Whiskey and Scotch were difficult to obtain, while rum was more readily available. Liquor distributors allegedly required bar owners to purchase large amounts of rum in order to receive limited quantities of whiskey or Scotch. Pat O'Brien's bartenders are said to have created a sweet, fruit-forward rum cocktail to use the surplus spirit. Serving it in a glass modeled on a hurricane lamp gave the drink its name and its recognizable presentation. The Hurricane later became strongly associated with both the venue and New Orleans tourism. The bar also built its reputation through its physical setting. A flaming fountain in the courtyard became a signature attraction, combining spectacle with the venue's open-air French Quarter environment. The piano bar introduced a format in which two pianists perform simultaneously and respond to audience requests. Pat O'Brien's is frequently described as an early example, or the originator, of the dueling-piano bar concept, though claims about being the first are difficult to verify conclusively. In 1978 the Oechsner family took over the business. George Oechsner Jr. became general manager and, together with his son Sonny, served as a proprietor. The family connection continued into a later generation. Shelly Oechsner Waguespack was reported as running the bar in 2018, reinforcing the brand's presentation as a family-operated New Orleans institution rather than a purely anonymous hospitality chain. The brand subsequently extended beyond its original New Orleans venue. Additional locations were reported in Orlando, Florida, at Universal Orlando's CityWalk, and in San Antonio, Texas. These locations carried the Pat O'Brien's name and adapted elements of the original concept, including its cocktail identity and entertainment-oriented positioning. Pat O'Brien's has also remained visible in popular culture. The venue has been shown or referenced in programs including the New Orleans episode of Impractical Jokers, Family Guy, NCIS: New Orleans, and Trailer Park Boys: Out of the Park USA. In the latter case, the program's cast appears outside rather than inside the establishment. Such appearances have supported the bar's status as a recognizable New Orleans landmark, while the core brand continues to rest on its historic address, Hurricane cocktail, courtyard fountain, piano entertainment, and French Quarter atmosphere.

• 1978

  Oechsner family takes over

  [1]Pat O'Brien's Baren.wikipedia.org

  The Oechsner family assumes control of the business, beginning a multigenerational family association with the bar.

• 1942

  Moves to 718 St. Peter Street

  [1]Pat O'Brien's Baren.wikipedia.org

  The bar relocates in December 1942 to its present principal address in a historic building dating from 1791.

• 1940

  Hurricane cocktail associated with the bar

  [1]Pat O'Brien's Baren.wikipedia.org

  During the 1940s, Pat O'Brien's bartenders are reported to have developed the Hurricane cocktail as a way to use surplus rum.

• 1933

  Begins legal liquor operations

  [1]Pat O'Brien's Baren.wikipedia.org

  Pat O'Brien's begins operating as a legal liquor establishment on December 3, 1933, at Royal and St. Peter streets in New Orleans' French Quarter.

A heritage New Orleans hospitality and entertainment brand centered on the French Quarter, the Hurricane cocktail, live dueling pianos, and a theatrical courtyard atmosphere.

• Signature cocktail · 1940

  Hurricane cocktail

  Pat O'Brien's best-known signature drink is a sweet, fruit-oriented rum cocktail traditionally served in a hurricane-lamp-shaped glass. Its reported 1940s origin is linked to wartime shortages of whiskey and Scotch and the resulting availability of rum. The Hurricane is central to the bar's identity and to its association with New Orleans tourism.

• Live entertainment

  Dueling-piano entertainment

  The piano bar features two pianists performing together and accepting song requests from guests. This interactive format is a major part of the venue's entertainment proposition and is often described as one of the earliest examples of a dueling-piano bar.

• Venue attraction

  Courtyard flaming fountain

  The courtyard flaming fountain is a visual signature of the original New Orleans venue. It contributes to the theatrical atmosphere of the French Quarter location and serves as one of the most recognizable physical features associated with the brand.

1. 1Pat O'Brien's Baren.wikipedia.org
2. 2Pat O'Brien's Bar official websitepatobriens.com