Hussong's Cantina is the oldest and best known cantina in Baja California, Mexico.[1][2][3]
| Hussong's Cantina | |
|---|---|
 Hussong's Cantina | |
 | |
| Restaurant information | |
| Established | 1892 |
| Street address | Avenida Ruiz 113 |
| City | Ensenada |
| State | Baja California |
| Postal/ZIP Code | 22800 |
| Country | Mexico |
| Coordinates | 31°51′55″N 116°37′42″W / 31.86528°N 116.62833°W |
| Other locations | Las Vegas, Nevada, US |
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 edit
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]
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 edit
- ^ a b Niemann, Greg (2002). Baja Legends. Sunbelt Publications. pp. 114–116.
- ^ a b Peterson, Walt (2006). The Baja Adventure Book (4th ed.). Wilderness Press. pp. 101–102.
- ^ Lieber, Sara (2007). MTV Best of Mexico. Wiley Publishing, Inc. p. 349.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j De Mancillas, Gloria (1992). Seminario de Historia De Baja California (in Spanish).
{{cite book}}:|work=ignored (help) - ^ a b c d Hazard, Ann (2002). Agave Sunsets, Treasured Tales of Baja. Renegade Enterprises. pp. 157–160.
- ^ Lieber, Sara (2007). MTV Best of Mexico. Wiley Publishing, Inc. p. 349.
- ^ "The Early Days". hussongslasvegas.com.
- ^ Clarke, Norm (January 21, 2010). "Man Survives crash, opens new cantina". Las Vegas Review Journal.
- ^ Leach, Robin (January 22, 2010). "Counter Intelligence: An inspirational moment at Hussong's Cantina". Las Vegas Sun.
External links edit
- "Official site – Hussong's Ensenada". Archived from the original on September 29, 2007.
- "Official site – Hussong's Las Vegas".