Hussong's Cantina
Hussong's Cantina
Restaurant information
Established1892
Street addressAvenida Ruiz 113
CityEnsenada
StateBaja California
Postal/ZIP Code22800
CountryMexico
Coordinates31°51′55″N 116°37′42″W / 31.86528°N 116.62833°W / 31.86528; -116.62833
Other locationsLas Vegas, Nevada, US

Hussong's Cantina is the oldest and best known cantina in Baja California, Mexico.[1][2][3]

The original Hussong's is located in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico, and was established in 1892.[1][2] [4][5] The second Hussong's Cantina opened in Las Vegas, Nevada, in January 2010.

Hussong's is reputedly the place where the Margarita was created in October 1941 by bartender Don Carlos Orozco.[4][5][6] He concocted a mixture of equal parts tequila, damiana (Cointreau is used now) and lime, served over ice in a salt-rimmed glass for Margarita Henkel, daughter of the German Ambassador to Mexico.[4]

History

Hussong's founder, John Hussong, was born as "Johann" in Landau, Germany in 1863.[7] Johann emigrated to the United States from Germany in 1888, and changed his name to John.[4][5] In 1889, the discovery of gold south of the border lured John to Ensenada.[4] John made a living hunting and trading supplies up and down the Baja coast. In June 1891, while on a trading expedition to El Arco, John's carriage flipped over, and his companion, Newt House, fractured his leg.[4] John brought Newt to recuperate at Meiggs' Bar, which back then, was Ensenada's only watering hole.[4] Two days after John and Newt arrived at the bar, Meiggs attacked his wife with an axe. When Meiggs was sent to jail, his wife fled to California.[4] When he got out of jail, Meiggs went in search of his wife, and asked John to mind the bar until he returned. Neither Meiggs nor his wife ever returned.[4]

Inside the cantina (1999)

After operating the bar for nearly a year, John purchased and remodeled the building across the street, which was a Southern Lane stage coach stop that bookended the route between Los Angeles and Ensenada.[4] In 1892 he obtained an alcohol license and started operating the John Hussong Bar. His license is still #002 and the building is still located on Ruiz Avenue. Today, Hussong's Cantina is in the same building in which it was founded and little has changed since it opened.[5]

Hussong's Cantina opened its second location in January 2010, on the Las Vegas strip, at the Mandalay Bay Hotel.[8][9]

References

  1. 1 2 Niemann, Greg (2002). Baja Legends. Sunbelt Publications. pp. 114–116.
  2. 1 2 Peterson, Walt (2006). The Baja Adventure Book (4th ed.). Wilderness Press. pp. 101–102.
  3. ↑ Lieber, Sara (2007). MTV Best of Mexico. Wiley Publishing, Inc. p. 349.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 De Mancillas, Gloria (1992). Seminario de Historia De Baja California (in Spanish). {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  5. 1 2 3 4 Hazard, Ann (2002). Agave Sunsets, Treasured Tales of Baja. Renegade Enterprises. pp. 157–160.
  6. ↑ Lieber, Sara (2007). MTV Best of Mexico. Wiley Publishing, Inc. p. 349.
  7. ↑ "The Early Days". hussongslasvegas.com.
  8. ↑ Clarke, Norm (January 21, 2010). "Man Survives crash, opens new cantina". Las Vegas Review Journal.
  9. ↑ Leach, Robin (January 22, 2010). "Counter Intelligence: An inspirational moment at Hussong's Cantina". Las Vegas Sun.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.