Southern Comfort
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Southern Comfort is a fruit, spice, and whiskey flavored liqueur produced since 1874. It is made from a secret blend of whiskey, peach, orange, vanilla, sugar & cinnamon.
It was founded by an Irish bartender M.W. Heron (b. 1850 c. 1920), the son of a boatbuilder, at McCauley’s tavern just off Bourbon Street in New Orleans, Louisiana. He moved to Memphis, Tennessee in 1889, patented his famous 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.
Southern Comfort is available as 100 US proof, 76 US proof, 70 US proof and 42 US proof; 50%, 38%, 35% & 21% Alcohol by volume respectively. It is often erroneously thought to be bourbon whiskey based—it is actually neutral grain spirits based [1]. Southern Comfort Reserve, however, is a blend of Southern Comfort and 6 year old Bourbon and is 40 percent alcohol.
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[edit] In cocktails
Southern Comfort is used in the creation of many popular cocktails, including "SoCo Lime," "Alabama Slammer," "Red Death," "A Piece of Ass," "Red Devil," "Greek Sex on the Beach," "Crash & Burn," "57 Chevy," "Sloe Comfortable Screw," "Scarlett O'Hara," "SoCoke," and "SoCo Manhattan."
In an advertising campaign, the company suggests mixing it with lime juice to make a SoCo Lime.
A Southern Comfort drink is the "Vince Vaughn," a mix of Southern Comfort and Mountain Dew Code Red. "This drink is becoming popular on college campuses and in hipster bars across the United States"[2].
[edit] In popular culture
- Southern Comfort gained popularity for being the drink of choice of singer Janis Joplin, as she often kept a bottle on stage during performances. It continues to have a strong connection with music through sponsorships of the Voodoo Music Experience, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, and the Southern Comfort Music Experience, a free two-day concert event that occurs throughout the US.
- The brand has also sponsored New Orleans rock band Cowboy Mouth for the last several years, specifically their Mardi Gras themed tour bus.
- The Long Island-based rock band Brand New released a song entitled "Soco Amaretto Lime" on their first album called Your Favourite Weapon released in 2001.
- "Sweet Southern Comfort" is the title of a song by country singer Buddy Jewell.
- Dismemberment Plan's song "Ellen and Ben" (off Change) contains the line "SoCo in bed."
- In the FX network's crime drama The Shield, members of the anti-gang task force known as The Strike Team make a reference when, after having pulled off a big job, they say that "it's a good time for some Southern Comfort."
- In the Philip K. Dick novel A Scanner Darkly, Donna asks Bob Arctor to buy her a bottle of Southern Comfort to share; in the movie version, she asks for tequila.
- In the Neil Gaiman novel American Gods, the leprechaun Mad Sweeney orders Southern Comfort and Coke several times instead of the Guinness that he was expected to.
- Kid Rock references Southern Comfort in his single, "Bawitdaba".
- The Portland-based indie rock band the Gossip released a song on their 2001 album, That's Not What I Heard entitled "Southern Comfort."
- Southern Comfort is a title of southern rock band Fight Paris song
- Guitarist of He Is Legend has got a tattoo on his left arm that says Southern Comfort
- Kiss The Gunner got a song called Southern Comfort Ain't No Comfort on their album
[edit] Trivia
- The plantation depicted on the label of Southern Comfort since the 1930s is Woodland Plantation, an antebellum mansion in West Pointe a la Hache, a small town in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana. Woodland Plantation, which is registered on the National Register of Historic Places, now operates as a bed and breakfast.
- Southern Comfort was the sponsor of the first ever series of Big Brother UK.
[edit] External links
- The Southern Comfort official site (Flash 8 Player required)
