Southern Comfort
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| Type | Liqueur |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Brown-Forman Corporation |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Introduced | 1889 |
| Proof | 100, 80, 70, 60, 42 |
| Related products | List of bourbon producers |
Southern Comfort is a flavored neutral grain spirit-based [1] liqueur produced since 1874, though not always by the modern formula. The Brown-Forman Corporation owns the Southern Comfort brand.
Southern Comfort is available as 100 US proof (50% alcohol by volume), 80 US proof (40% alcohol by volume), 70 US proof (35% alcohol by volume) and 42 US proof (21% alcohol by volume). Southern Comfort Reserve is a blend of Southern Comfort and 6-year-old bourbon and is 80 US proof. Outside of the Americas, Southern Comfort is distilled in Fox & Geese, just outside Dublin, Ireland.
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[edit] History
Southern Comfort was first produced by Irish bartender Martin Wilkes Heron (1850–1920), the son of a boat-builder. Legend says it was created and sold at McCauley’s Tavern at the corner of Richard and St. Peter Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana.[citation needed] However, St. Peter Street and Richard Street do not intersect, but Richard Street does intersect with S. Peters Street in the Lower Garden District near the Mississippi River.
He moved to Memphis, Tennessee in 1889, patented his creation, and began selling it in sealed bottles with the slogan "None Genuine But Mine" and "Two per customer. No Gentleman would ask for more." Southern Comfort won the gold medal at the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis, Missouri.
In an episode of The Thirsty Traveler entitled "A River of Whiskey," spirits historian Chris Morris describes the original recipe of Southern Comfort. Heron began with good quality bourbon and would add: "An inch of vanilla bean, about a quarter of a lemon, half of a cinnamon stick, four cloves, a few cherries and an orange bit or two. He would let this soak for days. And right when he was ready to finish he would add his sweetener, he liked to use honey."[2]
The image on the label of Southern Comfort since the 1930s is A Home on the Mississippi a rendering by Alfred Waud depicting Woodland Plantation, an antebellum mansion in West Pointe a la Hache, Louisiana. Woodland Plantation, which is registered on the National Register of Historic Places, now provides bed-and-breakfast accommodation.
[edit] In cocktails
Southern Comfort is used in the creation of many popular cocktails, including Alabama Slammer, Red Death, A Piece of Ass, Red Devil, Greek Sex on the Beach, Crash & Burn, '57 Chevy, Sloe Comfortable Screw, SoCo Hurricane, The Princess Peach, Slo Sunrise, Rickstasy, SocaCola, SoCoCello, soCo-LoCo, SoCo Manhattan, Blind Andy, SoCo Andy, Liquid Cocaine, Steamboat and Funky Cold Medina. Southern Comfort and club soda make a drink called An Old Woody.
One of the earliest Southern Comfort-based cocktails to be marketed was the Scarlett O'Hara, concocted in tribute to the release of the film adaptation of Gone with the Wind in 1939. The mixture includes Southern Comfort, cranberry juice, and fresh lime.[3]
In a recent advertising campaign, the company suggests mixing it with lime juice to make a Soco and lime.
When Southern Comfort is taken as a shot and chased with orange soda, it gives the distinct taste of an Orange Creamsicle. Another popular mix that incorporates juice is the Adam's Apple, a combination of Southern Comfort and apple juice. Apple cider can also be used in this drink.
In New Zealand, Southern Comfort is often mixed with Lemon & Paeroa.
In the Republic of Ireland, Southern Comfort is often mixed with Red Lemonade (a type of soft drink found only in the Republic of Ireland). This is known as a Southy and Red (or Suddy n' Red in Dublin).
[edit] In popular culture
- Southern Comfort has sponsored web-based show Diggnation up until, and including, episode 119; New Orleans rock band Cowboy Mouth for the last several years, specifically their Mardi Gras themed tour bus; the Voodoo Music Experience, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, and the Southern Comfort Music Experience
- Janis Joplin is strongly associated with this beverage
- Southern comfort is the sponsor official of the Spanish Group Animales Sueltos[4]
- The Hard Rock band Sweet F.A. made a song called "Southern Comfort" which was inspired by the beverage of the same name
- In the Stephen King novel Roadwork, the protagonist's private drink is Southern Comfort and 7-Up
- The Amanda Palmer song "Leeds United" asks the question "Who needs love when there's Southern Comfort?"
- The dubstep music producer Burial includes a song called "Southern Comfort" on his first album.
- The Placebo song "Kings of Medicine" from the 2009 Battle For The Sun quotes "Were words that always came out wrong 'Cause they were drowned in Southern Comfort"
[edit] References
- ^ [1]
- ^ "A River of Whiskey". Kevin Brauch. The Thirsty Traveler. Fine Living. No. 402, season 4.
- ^ CocktailTimes.com > History of Southern Comfort
- ^ > Southern Comfort is the sponsor official of Animales Sueltos
[edit] External links
- The Southern Comfort official site (Flash 8 Player required)
