Southern Comfort Bold Black Cherry

For today's post I've decided to try the first of the flavored whiskeys I have here in the house. I was feeling like having a bit of fruit flavor so I decided on the Southern Comfort Bold Black Cherry whiskey. As it is, the Southern Comfort brings back hazy and fuzzy memories of late nights shots of Soco-Lime at Down the Hatch on West 4th Street so I wanted to see if their Black Cherry offering could stand up. Southern Comfort itself has a very interesting history behind it that I would like to share.

According to the Southern Comfort website:

(In 1874) M.W. Heron was pouring drinks at McCauley's Saloon in New Orleans, USA. Heron soon realized his customers needed a smoother, more refined drink. So, he experimented with fruits, spices and flavors to create "Cuffs and Buttons." This drink would eventually become what we all know and love today as Southern Comfort. (In 1885) M.W. Heron renamed "Cuffs and Buttons" as Southern Comfort. His creation was dubbed "The Grand Old Drink of the South" at the World's Industrial and Cotton Centennial Exposition.

In terms of the Bold Black Cherry:

(In 2012) Reclaiming our roots as an original flavored spirit with fruit, spices and whiskey, Southern Comfort introduced Bold Black Cherry. 138 years of unique expertise went into this original concoction that is now available in the US, UK, and Ireland.

Now that we got the history out of the way, what do I think of the Southern Comfort Bold Black Cherry. I find that it has a little bit of a spicy and pleasing taste with a delay in the black cherry flavors. The aroma is also light on the cherry scent. I find that it is not as sweet or fruity as the original Southern Comfort. The website has a number of cocktails that they recommend to be used with the Bold Black Cherry. Here is one of the following recipes:

Southern Comfort Cherry & Coke Zero
1 1/2 oz. Southern Comfort Bold Black Cherry
4 oz. Coke Zero

Pour over ice & stir. Garnish with a cherry.

It sounds delicious. Possibly like a boozed up version of Dr. Brown's Black Cherry soda. But I decided that I wanted to make something different. Something that was not on the website. Since I had a open can of Diet 7-up from the Xanté Spirit tasting, I decided to use that instead.

Southern Comfort Big Bold Black Cherry and Diet 7-up
2oz Southern Comfort Big Bold Black Cherry
Diet 7-up to fill

Pour over ice & stir. Garnish with a cherry.

I find that the cocktail is very light and airy. The Diet 7-up adds a level of bubbliness and the SoCo Cherry just adds the right amount of cherry flavor. Neither ingredient overpowers the other. It is a very simple and tasty cocktail.

I have to admit that I prefer the Southern Comfort Bold Black Cherry over the original Southern Comfort. Any suggestions on what other cocktails I should try this in?

Until Then Happy Drinking,
Sisco Vanilla