There are two primary things the South is known for: southern hospitality, and southern comfort! Southern comfort is a smooth whiskey liquor that originated in New Orleans in the late 1800s. It has accents of both spices and fruits, and has been a long-standing favorite for well over a century. To show our appreciation to this crowd favorite, we’ve compiled a list of our favorite drinks that feature Southern Comfort.
Alabama Slammer
The Alabama Slammer is a cocktail made with Southern Comfort, gin (specifically sloe gin if you want to be exact), orange juice, and amaretto. It’s a rather sweet cocktail, and some say that the sweetness overpowers any distinct notes of cherry or oak that are prevalent in some of the individual ingredients. This cocktail has been around since the 1970’s – so much more recent than Southern Comfort itself – but still has been around long enough to prove that it can withstand the test of time.
Scarlett O’Hara
This cocktail was one of the earliest Southern Comfort cocktails, named after the character from Gone with the Wind. Scarlett O’Hara is a simple cocktail, with just a shot of Southern Comfort, some lime juice, and however much cranberry juice you’d like (typically 2-3 shots worth or about six ounces). Garnish it with a lime wedge, and run the lime wedge around the rim to bring more of the lime flavor forward when you drink.
Old-fashioned with Southern Comfort
You can take a traditional old-fashioned cocktail and spice it up by adding some Southern Comfort. This Southern Comfort Old Fashioned Sweet cocktail adds a whole new level of sweetness to the classic drink. These are especially easy to drink and taste just like dessert, so watch how many you consume! For this recipe, you’ll need cinnamon sticks, maraschino cherries, an orange peel, sprite, some bitters, and some sugar cubes! You crystallize the sugar with the bitters, so you can’t avoid adding the extra sugar even if you wanted a slightly less sweet drink.
Heron’s Harvest
This drink has a beautiful presentation. In a martini glass, the soft green glow makes it look rather otherworldly! To make this Heron’s Harvest, take a shot of Southern Comfort, a shot of Sour Apple Schnapps (which gives it that green glow), a dash of hazelnut liqueur and a dash of syrup, preferably vanilla or caramel. Mix it all together in a cocktail shaker with ice, and then strain into a martini glass. For garnish, you can use a green apple wedge.
Whiskey Neat
This is for those of you that are trying to avoid adding extra sugar to your drink. Plus, it’s the most simple it can possibly get. For this whiskey neat, just pour some Southern Comfort into a glass, and sip until its empty.
