Southern Comfort

Despite what most people think, Southern Comfort isn’t actually bourbon — it’s a whiskey-flavored liqueur with fruit and spice notes. Created in New Orleans in 1874 by bartender Martin Wilkes Heron, it was originally called “Cuffs and Buttons.” At 35% ABV, it’s sweeter and smoother than straight whiskey, which makes it mix easily with lemonade, cola, or cranberry juice. The Alabama Slammer is its most famous cocktail moment, mixed with amaretto, sloe gin, and OJ. Janis Joplin famously drank it onstage, which probably did more for sales than any ad campaign ever could.

Last modified on October 15, 2026