Southern Comfort is a US-made liqueur with a fruity, spicy, and whiskey flavor, often used in mixed drinks. It was founded by a bartender in New Orleans and is associated with the Southeastern US. It is available in various versions and is brewed in St. Louis, Missouri.
Southern Comfort is a liqueur – or alcoholic beverage flavored with various spices and bottled with a sweetener such as sugar – made in the United States. It has hints of fruit, spice and whiskey to its flavor, and is often used to make mixed drinks. Southern Comfort has been in production since the late 1800s and has been closely associated with the Southeastern United States, as its label images depict an antebellum mansion and plantation, and it was created in New Orleans. It is sometimes referred to as So-Co.
Martin Wilkes Heron was the founder of Southern Comfort. He was a bartender in New Orleans, but it wasn’t until he moved to Memphis, Tennessee that he patented the drink and began marketing it successfully. He created the liqueur by adding an assortment of fruits – including oranges, lemons and cherries; high quality bourbon, along with spices like cloves, cinnamon and vanilla. He would then let the concoction soak for at least a week, before finally adding honey or another sweetener. Many claim that the final product tastes similar to peaches.
A number of mixed drinks are made with Southern Comfort. It’s a popular choice to mix with sodas and other sweet beverages. A popular drink, the Sloe Comfortable Screw, is made with sloe gin, vodka, Southern Comfort, and orange juice. Another popular drink is the So-Co Manhattan, which is made with Southern Comfort, sweet and bitter vermouth, and served over ice and a maraschino cherry. An Alabama Slammer is So-Co blended with amaretto, plum gin, orange juice, and sweet and sour mix.
Simpler recipes simply call for So-Co and Coke, So-Co and soda water — known as Old Woody — and So-Co with cranberry juice. It is commonly used to add a boozy kick to the punch as well. Today, Southern Comfort is available in several varieties beyond the traditional version, including a premixed lime version, another premixed sweet tea version, and a premixed cola version.
In the United States, Southern Comfort is available as a 100-proof drink, meaning the liquor is 50% ABV by volume. It is also available in a 70 proof version, or thirty five percent alcohol by volume. The premixed versions of the liqueur are all 30 proof, or fifteen percent ABV by volume. Southern Comfort Special Reserve is 80% ABV, or 40% ABV by volume. While its origins can be traced back to New Orleans and Memphis, the drink is brewed today in St. Louis, Missouri.
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