Saturday, April 27, 2013

A Rare Gem found: 1915 L. E. Jung Greenopal

One of the many chapters in the shared history of New Orleans, and Absinthe was an old New Orleans distiller L. E. Jung. (Later to be known as L. E. Jung & Wulff)

L. E Jung distilled absinthe, among their many types of  bitters, liquers, and liquors during their roughly sixty year history. From the surviving information, it appears that L.E. Jung produced a copy of C.F. Berger's absinthe , both as a verte, and a blanche.


1911 L.E. Jung catalog page with their pre-ban absinthe.



When the USA banned absinthe in 1912, L.E Jung would reformulate their Absinthe in 1913 and produce what may well have been the first American Absinthe substitute, called GREENOPAL.


1913 New Orleans Bee French language advt. for their absinthe substitute. 


Original purchase June 2014




A surviving L.E. Jung Greenopal Absinthe Substitute from 1915, now residing in our collection.

Greenopal would later resurface after repeal under the house brand of Solari's market in New Orleans.



We will pick up the story of the many changing names of L.E. Jung, and L.E Jung & Wulff's absinthe substitutes, as Jung & Wulff would try to find a niche in the post pro-prohibition market.

Stay tuned for more photos to come...