A little comfort from the South (Southern Comfort)

Member Name: juleshobs

Product:	Southern Comfort
Date:	28/04/08 (593 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Nice refreshing taste when drank with a mixer

Disadvantages: No good if you drink too much of it

Now I am not a lover of whisky but I do love Southern Comfort on the odd occasion.

What is Southern Comfort

Southern Comfort is a blend of whiskey, fruit and spices which gives it its unique sweet flavour which is not too harsh like most whiskies. Southern Comfort has its roots in New Orleans but how did this drink come into being. Well the drink dates back to around the 1870's when and Irish born gentleman called Martin Wilkes Heron who was working in a Saloon (bar to you and me) had to rectify or shall we say make some rough tasting barrel whisky taste better. Heron used a blend of peach, orange, vanilla, sugar and cinnamon to make the cheap whisky taste better and it is a hit and initially this drink was called Cuffs and Buttons.

Heron presented his drink at the New Orleans Cotton and Industrial Exposition and renamed his concoction Southern Comfort, The grand old drink of the South. Herons drink was well received and became the gentleman's drink of sophistication and refinement.

By the 1900's Southern Comfort had made its way to Europe and was just as much a success here as it had been in the deep South. Southern Comfort has survived through prohibition in the States, WWII where it was a favourite tipple by US serviceman and still remains with us today but now mass produced and sold practically everywhere.

The bottle is clear glass and looks very similar in appearance to other spirit bottles but this boasts a unique label depicting a picture of what would have been a grand Southern plantation house with a paddle steamer on the river running in front of the plantation main house and a horse and carriage on the main road between the hose and the river. There are a couple of people in the picture but it is too small to tell whether these are the wealthy plantation owners or the poor slaves who where traded in the South in days gone by.

Southern Comfort is readily available in local supermarkets where it is generally priced around the £16 mark for a 75cl bottle though you can get it cheaper if its on special offer or a promotion.

A normal bottle sold here in the UK is 38% proof it is quite strong as you would expect with most spirits and certainly from a whisky based drink but there is no harsh taste with this it runs smoothly across your tongue and down you throat leaving a sweet flavour behind in your mouth with the definite overtones of fruit in there.

I like to mix my Southern Comfort with lemonade and lime and ice, the lime juice really brinks out the fruit flavours and I find is a real complement to the drink and it is really refreshing on a hot summers day. You can use lime cordial but it is just not the same as a squeeze of fresh lime but hey you have to use what you have to hand at times and also what you can afford if you are on a budger.

No I do know someone who actually drinks Southern Comfort with Coke, but I find this to rather an overly sweet combination. Coke is fine with a whisky but the sweetness of both drinks is too much for me.

One of my favourite drinks, just for the name, is a Scarlet O'Hara as this really does tie in with the origins of the drink and all that was the Deep South.

If you fancy making this it is extremely simple as the ingredients are:-

3 parts Southern comfort
1 part Grenadine
Ice

Mix together and pour into a glass, though you could make up a larger quantity by using a jug and serving chilled at a BBQ.
I have also read about another new emerging cocktail which I think could be a strange combination and it is called a 'Vince Vaughn' and is made up by mixing Southern Comfort with Mountain Dew Code Red - sounds revolting and I don't think I will be trying this one. Leave me with lemonade and lime and Ice and I will be quite happy.

Overall this drink, although more expensive than most other spirits is really nice and yes I would buy it again and again and again and have done so on many occasions. Normally there are a couple of bottles lurking in my drinks cupboard as I like to have enough to hand for a party if need be.

Summary: A nice refreshing drink when mixed and chilled - remember to drink responsibily.