Southern Comfort® 100 Proof Whiskey Liqueur, 70 cl, ABV 50%

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The brand changed hands multiple times after Heron died in 1920 (three months after the start of Prohibition, no less). For much of this time, the liqueur’s whiskey base was replaced with cheaper, neutral grain spirit, such as vodka. It wasn’t until Sazerac bought the brand in 2016 that production started using a whiskey base again. This cookie is set by Rubicon Project to control synchronization of user identification and exchange of user data between various ad services. In 2016, the brand was acquired by New Orleans, Louisiana-based Sazerac Company to bring its journey full circle. The Sazerac company is home to many other famous brands like Sazerac Rye, Buffalo Trace, E. H. Taylor, George T. Stagg, Blanton’s, and many others. Southern Comfort was created in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1874 by a bartender named Martin Wilkes Heron. The origin story of the brand, like all good origin stories, is shrouded in the mists of time, and as will become apparent, somewhat contradictory. For many years Martin Wilkes Heron was believed to have created Southern Comfort in Memphis in or around 1890. Census records and directories appear to show that Heron had lived and worked in St Louis, possibly as a store porter and later clerk, and definitely from 1883 in the liquor business working for A M Hellman & Co, one of the largest companies in the Southern states, “renowned” according to the press, “for its best brands of whiskey” (Heron was an old friend of Lewis Hellman, and would return to St Louis from Memphis to act as a pall bearer at his funeral in 1901).

Pour Southern Comfort Original, sweet and sour mix, orange juice, pineapple juice, grenadine, and ice into a blender. Blend until smooth, pour into a glass, and garnish with the orange wedge and cherry. Is Southern Comfort gluten free? I remember that Southern Comfort appeared like a shining beam of light in my largely monochrome teenage years in the late 1960s and 1970s. Don’t believe all that ‘swinging sixties’ stuff. Life was still drab; colour TV was only an occasional treat for those who could (which my parents certainly couldn’t) afford the expensive rented receivers. Explorations of alcohol were mostly confined to surreptitious half-pints of mild and bitter in otherwise deserted village pubs, and perhaps stolen sips of spirits at house parties. Would you believe that Southern Comfort has ties to the American Film Institute’s top 100 films? That’s right the current number 4 film on the AFI’s list is “Gone with the Wind” whose main character is Scarlett O’Hara. The singer-songwriter was famously a fan of Southern Comfort and regularly appeared on stage with a bottle in hand. To thank her for the free publicity, Southern Comfort bought Joplin a lynx fur coat and matching hat. Kevin Brauch. "A River of Whiskey". The Thirsty Traveler. Season 4. Episode 402. Fine Living. Archived from the original on January 16, 2010.

The post war years saw grain supplies to distillers further disrupted by the demands of the Marshall Plan to send foodstuffs to a hungry Europe ravaged by war – some, including Merchants Distilling, used potatoes to distil alcohol. New and old grain based whiskey was in increasingly short supply. In spite of these potential obstacles sales of Southern Comfort continued to grow apace during the war years, and one might speculate that the introduction of the new 1941 war-proof formulation was when whiskey was first dropped from the Southern Comfort recipe to be replaced by grain neutral spirit and a whiskey flavouring, a fact that only became general public knowledge following the acquisition of the brand by Sazerac in 2016. Southern Comfort is a smooth, sweet, easy-drinking experience every time. So what is this magical elixir known as Southern Comfort? You would be excused if you assumed this was bourbon or whiskey. History [ edit ] A pre-2010 Southern Comfort bottle with its label showing an illustration of Louisiana's Woodland Plantation. The label was redesigned in 2010. [6] If your only exposure to “SoCo” is an ill-conceived shot you sort of remember taking one time, it’s time to give the spirit a closer look. From humble beginnings to WWII-era patriotism, Southern Comfort has a storied history. Here are seven things you should know about the famous southern liqueur. When the World Came to Westwood: The Fowler Museum at 50". UCLA Magazine . Retrieved March 21, 2020.

Yes, Southern Comfort is gluten free. Most pure distilled spirits are naturally gluten-free even if their base component has gluten.

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Heron originally named his liqueur Cuffs & Buttons. Depending on which version of history you believe, this was either a reference to the ingredients he used for the infusion — citrus peel (cuffs) and cloves (buttons) — or a nod to another popular liqueur of the time, Hat and Tails.

Southern Comfort started out with a whiskey base but for most of the post-prohibition years, it used a neutral spirit. It wasn’t until Sazerac took ownership that whiskey returned as the base liquor. Southern Comfort Prices, Variations & Sizes According to evidence filed in a tax dispute in 1945 Fowler (quite likely with the chemist Holzmark) had discovered a ‘secret formula’ in 1934 for a flavouring that could be used to produce Southern Comfort. Whisky for the compound was provided by the Merchants Distilling Corporation of Terre Haute, Indiana. In 1941 a new flavouring concentrate, “a superior one in that it could be mixed by anyone and did not require ingredients made non-obtainable by the war” was created following a year’s research and development, by Fowler’s eldest son, Francis Fowler III, whilst working for Caligrapo. Caligrapo (now owned jointly by Fowler’s three sons) retained the rights to the recipe and was contracted to supply the concentrate to what was now the Southern Comfort Corporation, the name ‘Midland Distilleries’ having fallen foul of the law. Caligrapo continued to supply the concentrate up until the acquisition of the brand by the Brown-Forman Corporation in 1979, who also acquired Fowler’s secret formula. Previously, there were also ground coffees available with both of these eggnog flavorings, but the coffee products have since been discontinued. Southern Comfort is actually considered a whiskey liqueur, which is a blend of whiskey, fruits, and spices. A Brief History of Southern Comfort Mason, Ashley (December 20, 2016). "The Great Eggnog Taste Test That Almost Killed Us". Bon Appétit.Heron moved to Memphis, Tennessee in 1889, patented his creation, and began selling it in sealed bottles with the slogan "None Genuine But Mine" [8] 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. No. Southern Comfort isn’t a whiskey or bourbon. It is a liqueur, a distilled spirit that is sweetened with various flavors and extracts. The original formula and the current formula use whiskey as the base for this whiskey liqueur, but for some years a neutral spirit was used. What do you mix with Southern Comfort? a b c Simonson, Robert (May 8, 2017). "Surprise! Southern Comfort Has No Whiskey. But Soon It Will". The New York Times . Retrieved May 8, 2017. Stephens, Caleb (August 12, 2018). "Here are the top 20 best-selling whiskey brands in America". Orlando Business Journal . Retrieved September 9, 2019. This drink was called Cuffs and Buttons. While this isn’t necessarily a bad name for a drink, it doesn’t have the ring to it that Southern Comfort does. The name was eventually changed, and that wasn’t all.