Was Pat O'Brien's a speakeasy during Prohibition? I heard that the password to get in had something to do with "hurricane." Is this true?

Scott

Dear Scott,

Prohibition, which lasted from 1920 to 1933, was devastating to the Big Easy as you might imagine. In the last years of the period, B. H. "Pat" O'Brien was operating a speakeasy called "Mr. O'Brien's Club Tipperary." It was one of many establishments of this kind that opened their doors to the select few who knew the password: "Storm's Brewin." Sounds like a hurricane to me, but the name of this pink drink wasn't created until many years later.

When at last Prohibition was repealed, Pat O'Brien moved across the street to the 600 block of St. Peter Street, the original location of the now-famous drinking establishment. Then in 1942 O'Brien purchased the building at 718 St. Peter and moved his business into its current location where "Have Fun" is the motto for both tourists and locals.

The Hurricane, the fruity red concoction served with an orange slice and a cherry, was invented in Pat O'Brien's Bar during World War II. Liquor, especially whiskey, was in short supply. Times were really hard, but at least there was plenty of rum. So salesmen would force bar owners to purchase as many as 50 cases of rum just to get one case of whiskey. As a result, when O'Brien found himself with enough rum to float a battleship, he did what any enterprising businessman would do: He made something that would sell.

So with the help of an eager liquor salesman, the recipe for the new drink was born. The concoction got its name when somebody decided to use a fancy glass in the shape of a hurricane lamp in which to serve the deceptively deadly drink.

Now the Hurricane has been supersized. That's right. You -- well not just you -- can get a Hurricane in the three-gallon size. It's called a "Magnum," and I believe you could probably use it for an aquarium. Therefore, you must also invite several friends to join you. It's so huge that you have to stand up to drink it -- before you fall down.

Hey Blake,

I live next door to the old Carmelite monastery on Rampart Street between Governor Nicholls and Barracks streets. What can you tell me about the history of the monastery?

A Reader

Dear Reader,

In November 1877, four nuns from the Carmelite convent in St. Louis came to New Orleans to found the Monastery of St. Joseph and St. Teresa of the Discalced Carmelites of New Orleans. Two of the sisters who asked to be a part of the foundation of the order in New Orleans were Creole daughters of Louisiana: Louise J. Roman and Marie Eliza Tremoulet.

The nuns moved into an antebellum cottage at 134 Barracks St. in 1878. Behind the 22-foot walls, the sisters spread their convent throughout the square, adding other buildings, orchards, courtyards, bedrooms, refectory, infirmary, and chapels, all linked by corridors. But it wasn't until 1891 that the cornerstone was laid for a new convent. At that time there were 20 members in the order. Finally, in November 1895, the Archbishop consecrated the chapel.

"Discalced" means without shoes, and the Carmelites who came to New Orleans wore sandals made of hemp that were not considered shoes. In this contemplative order, the women lived in cloistered monasteries and spent most of their time praying and working. They baked bread, sewed vestments, painted religious pictures and planted gardens. It was a strict and austere life.

The sisters lived behind the walls until 1971 when they were forced to leave because maintenance of the facility became too difficult, and today the Carmelites live in a monastery in the woods of St. Tammany Parish.