Favorite use for Southern Comfort?

[rworange]

I was looking around to see if there was a bottled alcoholic version of Southern Comfort eggnog. The refrigerated version lacks the booze. Somewhere in the back of my memory it seems they may have made an alcoholic version, but the website doesn' show anything.

Anyway, in my search, I came across alot of interesting Soco drinks. I'm wanting to give this a try
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern...

"When Southern Comfort is taken as a shot and chased with orange soda, it gives the distinct taste of an Orange Creamsicle"

How do you like your Soco?

[JohnE O]

My fav use of SoCo is to serve it to my father-in-law as a Manhatten so he stays out of my bourbon.

[StriperGuy]

My favorite thing to to is mix it with strychnine and use it to poison skunks. They just can't resist the stuff.

[jerryc123]

That made me laugh out loud, but it isn't really helpful to the original poster.

And what is it about cherry flavoring and Manhattans? It seems like a big favorite of all the old men that frequent taverns around here. Its either Southern Comfort and sweet vermouth, or, Bourbon, sweet vermouth and a dash of the chemically-neon-red-sugar-water out of the fake-maraschino-cherry jar. I would blame it on a society raised on McDonald's, HoHo's and corn syrup, but these are all old guys ordering drinks this way.

[imhungryletseat]

It's funny, but when I saw the title of the post, my first answer was to strip paint off of metal! Anyway, I had some bad experiences with Southern Comfort in College (Ok not that bad!!) so I do stay away from it.
As for marashino cherry juice; that was how I was taught to make a Manhattan-----3 parts bourbon or rye (I like bourbon--Wild Turkey or Bulleit)
1 part Sweet Vermouth, a dash of bitters, and a marashino cherry with a little juice added in.

[StriperGuy]

Yah, pretty common for people who like their Manhattans sweet. I ere in the other direction.

That said, I make my own home made brandied cherries and the juice from them is awesome in a Manahattan.

[pacheeseguy]

with Egg Nog

[jerryc123]

Well, after doing a little bit of research, I have to say that I am beginning to have a little less disdain for SoCo.

Like most people, my experience with this liqueur was limited to mixing with cola. But as an admitted home cocktail enthusiast, I think it may be time to "re-discover" this ingredient, and it's use in cocktails, before piling onto the SoCo-hate bandwagon.

Gary Regan, cocktail historian, and author of "The Joy of Mixology", says that while people refer to Southern Comfort as a whiskey, (and even more people think of it as a whiskey-based liqueur,) according to sources at Brown-Forman, the company that owns the product, it's a "fruit, spice and whiskey flavored liqueur" with a neutral grain spirit base.

The official Southern Comfort website is a bit more enigmatic. It's text says that MW Heron, a New Orleans bartender, originally used a secret blend of flavors (peach, orange, vanilla, sugar, and cinnamon) to flavor poor quality Kentucky and Tennessee whiskey, for a liqueur he called "Cuffs & Buttons." He then changed the name to Southern Comfort for the 1889 New Orleans Cotton & Industrial Exposition.
Now owned by Brown-Forman, only ten people know the current recipe formulation for modern Southern Comfort.

From Wikipedia...
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.

So, depending on who you believe, Southern Comfort has it's roots in either good bourbon, or total rot-gut poor whiskey. Considering that whiskey IS neutral spirit, until it matures in oak barrels, both explanations could be correct. True?

Add a blend of secret ingredients and sweeteners, a few award-winning exhibitions, prohibition, WW2, post-war marketing, and modern day chemistry, and you come up with something that may be Neutral Grain Spirits brewed to taste like whiskey and fruit.

Regardless, it appears that all the ingredients, (well, NATURALLY flavored ingredients, anyway) that go into making Southern Comfort are the same exact things I would put into my home-made infusions, so perhaps it is time for me to go out and purchase a small bottle of SoCo, try it neat, try it in some cocktail recipes, and report back.

The Scarlett O'Hara will probably be the first thing I try...

1 1/2 oz Southern Comfort
1 1/4 oz cranberry juice
1/4 oz fresh lime juice
Shake in an iced cocktail shaker and strain into a chilled cocktail glass

[StriperGuy]

This history is all well and good. And I can imagine making a very tasty liquer using some of the above mentioned ingredients. But the stuff just doesn't taste good. There is a reason people mix it with coke. Knowing Brown Forman I wonder how many of the ingredients are natural these days and how many were cooked up by food scientists using cheap artificial flavors.

If even the SoCo web site says it is doctored up cheap whiskey I'd take 'em at their word.

Take a sip neat. Do you like it? If so, marvelous. To me it is medicinal (in a bad way), overly sweet, and artificial tasting.

[rworange]

>>> 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

Actually that wiki description was what made me curious enough to post fully realizing that it is highly unlikely ... like zilch chance ... that would be how it is made today.

Still, it sounded like a lovely idea.

[StriperGuy]

Yah, sorry for the snarky response above, just couldn't resist. Maybe we ought to cook up and market a new, artisan made, all natural beverage... Southern Splendor or something along those lines... Heck, I'd drink that.

[jerryc123]

This sounds like a wonderful recipe for a home infusion, and I am going to start it first chance I get. If it only takes a few days, and the results are delicious, then I have a great idea for some homemade holiday gifts this year.

[vafarmwife]

Southern Comfort Punch- it's so white trash

1 fifth Southern Comfort
3 qts. 7-Up
1 (6 oz.) fresh lemon juice
1 (6 oz.) frozen orange juice
1 (6 oz.) frozen lemonade

Chill ingredients. Mix in punch bowl, adding 7-Up last. Stir. Add in slices of oranges, lemons, and limes.

[StriperGuy]

Can we float marshmellows speared to pineapple chunks and cherries in it? And I think you should swap the 7Up for Dr. Pepper.

[vafarmwife]

I'd say if you use enough Southern Comfort by the end of the night most people wouldn't care what was floating in it.

[StriperGuy]

Squirrels, errrr, skunks anyone?

[Alcachofa]

To make it a true cocktailian beverage, be sure to use home-made maraschino marshmallows.

[StriperGuy]

I'm whipping up some marshmallows right now ;-).

[Eric in NJ]

I found the recipe for SOCO Eggnog on their site?? Under party drinks

1 Cup SOCO
1 Qt Eggnog
ground nutmeg

Chill ingredients add to punch bowl and dust with Nutmeg.

Serves 10

[invinotheresverde]

I like my SoCo unopened, in the bottle.

[jerryc123]

I purchased a bottle of Southern Comfort today, and tried it on the rocks tonight. I was surprised at the first sip - This was much sweeter and herbal then I remember it. Vanilla is the most predominant flavor, followed by stone fruit, and some warm spice (cinnamon?) This is a bold drink, and there is a lot of over-the-top strong flavors going on, especially mid-palate. Unlike whiskey or bourbon however, there is no complex subtlety or nuance, and the finish is very short.

Overall, Southern Comfort is not a bad product, but not what I would drink as a "sipper." Unlike other sweet liqueurs that can be enjoyed neat or on the rocks, I would lump Southern Comfort in the same group as Midori or Chambord - liqueurs that are so sweet and strongly flavored, that they are best used as components to balance spirits in a cocktail. The sweetness of Southern Comfort almost demands an acidic counterpart, so I understand the appeal of 'SoCo and lime.'

It is interesting that MW Heron, inventor of Southern Comfort, was a bartender and RECTIFIER, that is, a person that rectified poor quality spirits into something more palatable. In the same respect, perhaps Southern Comfort is best used to 'rectify' some of our own cocktails.

I tried this immediately after the initial tasting.
If you like whiskey sours you may like this.

The Delta Cocktail
1 1/2 oz blended whiskey ( I used rye)
1/2 oz Southern Comfort
1/2 oz fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp sugar
Shake with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lime twist.

[StriperGuy]

Very thoughtful post. Heck, shudder, I might have to try a Delta cocktail.