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Le Cabaretier | The Cabaretier 

Similar to an auberge (an inn), the cabaret was a place where people could buy alcoholic beverages. There were differences between the establishments, however. In New France, the inn was a simple place where you could drink, eat and stay, while the cabaret was a place where alcohol was generally served in small quantities or to take away. The hotel, on the other hand, was a furnished property that was more comfortable than the inn, where it was also possible to drink, eat and stay. That said, the differences between these three types of establishments were not evident until the 18th century. It was only from 1726 that tenants were required to display the category of their establishment: hotel, cabaret or inn.

Depending on the rights afforded to him, the cabaretier could sell beer, cider, wine, brandy or guildive (a type of brandy prepared from molasses or sugar cane juice). There were restrictions, however: the sale of alcohol was prohibited after certain hours in the evening and during religious services and some cities prohibited the sale of certain drinks to indigenous people.

Nobles and wealthy bourgeois would rarely come to the cabaret, preferring to buy drinks directly from traders and boat captains. Instead, cabarets and inns relied on a loyal clientele of explorers, merchants, coureurs des bois, militiamen and soldiers. For some, cabarets and inns were the only places to have good, light-hearted fun in good company. That said, it was also where one could find prostitution, betting, duels and fights. Soldiers frequented these establishments in the winter during their free time. They came to warm up, meet friends and colleagues, drink and eat, play cards and billiards, etc.

Known men who had this occupation: Louis Aimé, Jacques Aubuchon, Dominique Aussion, Paul Bap dit Quercy/Carre, Charles Bartody, André Baudin dit Sansrémission, Jacques Beausang, Raphaël Beauvais, François Baillargeon, Charles Beauchemin, Jean-Baptiste Bernard, Jean Bernard dit Lusignan, Pierre Berthelot, Pierre Besse, Adrien Bétourné dit Laviolette, Jacques Bigot dit Lagiroflée, Pierre Billeron dit Lafatigue, Jean Bineau, Germain Blondeau, Julien Boissy dit Lagrillade, Joseph Bonnet, Michel Bouchard, Guillaume Boucher dit Vindespagne, Marc Bouchet, Louis-Joseph Bourbaut (Bourbeau) dit Carignan, François Bourdon, Marin Bourdon, Joseph Bouvet, Étienne Boyer, René Bracard dit St-Laurent, Jean-Baptiste Brassard, François Brébion dit Sanscartier, Jean-Baptiste Briard, Jacques (de) Brisard, Jacques Brulé, Jean-Baptiste Brunet, Étienne Burel, Étienne Campion dit Labonté, Joseph Carignan, François Castonguay, Paul Caty, André Chandonné, Pierre Charier, Gabriel Chartier, Jacques-Joseph Cheval, Claude Chevalier, Pierre Chopin dit Lajoie, Jean Clouet, Pierre Côté, André Coupile, Maurice Couteleau, Guillaume Crépeau, Claude Crépin, Jean Cuillerier, René Daviau, Charles David, René Daniau, Nicolas Deguise dit Larose, Jean Deliasse dit Saint-Jean, Eustache Demers, Augustin Demolier, Pierre Depois dit Parisien, Pierre Destreme dit Comtois, Pierre Drouin, Jean-Baptiste Dufour, Nicolas Durand, Nicolas Duval, Louis Enouille dit Lanoix, Thomas Fichet, Jean Fourneau dit Brindamour, Thomas Frérot, Pierre Gareau dit Saint-Onge, Jean-Baptiste Gatin dit Saint-Jean, François Gatineau dit Larègle, Jean Gaufreteau dit L'Épée, Joseph Gautron Larochelle, Martin Germain, Pierre Grenet, Patrick Herald, Guillaume Hérou, Pierre Hévé, Charles Hubert, John Iffland, François Joffroy dit Messin, Léonard Jusseaume dit Saint-Pierre, Jean Laberge, Jean Labonne dit Léveillé, Alexandre Lachance, Élie Laforge, Pierre Lamothe, Augustin Laviolette, Jean-Gaspard le Normand, Jean-Baptiste Leclerc, Jean Lefebvre, Pierre Lefebvre, François Lenoir dit Rolland, Jacques Lepage, Louis Leroux dit Lachaussée, Denis LeVasseur, Jean Mailloux, Pierre Mailloux, Louis Marchand, Pierre Marchand, Pierre Marcheteau dit Desnoyers, Charles Marquis, Joseph Marissaux, Sylvain Miguet dit Latrimouille, Pierre Millet, Henri Mongeon, Jean Mongeon, Pierre Moreau dit Francoeur, Isaac Nafrechou, Philippe Neveu, Pierre Nolan, Jacques Nolin, Laurent Normandin dit Sauvage, François Pain, Louis Paré, Antoine Parent, Charles Parent, Jean Parent, François Perche, Pierre Petitot dit Desmarais, François Picard, Pierre Philippon dit Picard, Pierre Pichet, Simon Plante, Charles Pouliot, Pierre Rebelle dit Larose, Pierre Renaud dit Saint-Jean, Guillaume Robidou, Jean Robitaille, Jean Romain dit Sanscrainte, Michel Rouillard, Ignace Roussel, Nicolas Rousselot dit Laprairie, Pierre Roy, Abel Sagot, Joseph Saleur, Jacques Samson, François Sicles, Pierre Simon, Alexander Simpson, Pierre-André Spénard, Charles Souhait, François Tessier Laverdure, Alexandre Trichenet, Antoine Varambouville, Hubert Voyer 

Known women who had this occupation: Marie Denoyon, Marie Desmarais, Marie-Barbe Dupont, Louise Lecomte, Françoise Malouin, Cunégonde Masta, Marie Pilet, Marie Pruneau, Marie Thunay, Élisabeth Turpin 

Sources:

• Pascale Girard, "Les métiers en Nouvelle-France", Semaine nationale de la Généalogie (2014); online article, Fédération québécoise des sociétés de généalogie (www.semainegenealogie.com/extra/articles/182-les-metiers-en-nouvelle-france).

• Stéphane Tessier, "Auberges et cabarets en Nouvelle-France" (http://www.stephanetessier.ca/aubergesetcabaretsenNouvelle-France.htm)

• “Daily Life : Entertainment”, Canadian Museum of History, Virtual Museum of New France (https://www.historymuseum.ca/virtual-museum-of-new-france/daily-life/entertainment/), original research by Gilles Proulx, Ph.D.