SiscoVanilla Has a SoCo Lime at McDermott's Pub

Hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day. I was out having lunch with Momma-San and Gabba Gabba at McDermott's Pub (2634 E Tremont Ave, Bronx, NY 718-792-4490) when for whatever reason, my eye focused on the bottle of Southern Comfort that sat on the back bar. Not sure why, but I decided to order something I haven't ordered in ages: Southern Comfort and Lime aka Soco Lime on the rocks. Before I go into the cocktail, I wanted to shed light on Southern Comfort.

According to the Southern Comfort website, Southern Comfort, which is known as The Spirit of New Orleans was created by M.W. Heron in 1874. Now until now I always thought that Southern Comfort was a whiskey of some sort. As per the website, the original Southern Comfort is 60-proof. At this point I wasn't sure if it was a whiskey or not (There's also an 80-proof and 100-proof version of Southern Comfort available.) A quick internet search somewhat clarified the issue for me.

The article So What Exactly Is In Southern Comfort, Anyway by Julie Thompson from Huffington Post dated October 10, 2014 states the following:

Most people think of Southern Comfort as a whiskey. A look at Google’s search trends shows “Southern Comfort Whiskey” as one of the more popular search terms. And the bottle of brown liquid often sits next to the whiskey at your local liquor store, but it is not in fact a whiskey. Or a bourbon. Or a Scotch. Don’t let its golden color make a fool of you.

Southern Comfort, which was first named Cuffs & Buttons, is in fact a liqueur — a whiskey-flavored one. The original recipe was created by Martin Wilkes Heron in New Orleans. Heron was a barkeep looking for a solution to make unrefined whiskey more palatable. He came up with a recipe that added fruits and spices to the harsh liquor, and his customers loved it. With their thirst as his inspiration, he began marketing his recipe, which he later renamed Southern Comfort.

I guess that's somewhat of an answer. But it doesn't end there. The article Surprise! Southern Comfort Has No Whiskey. But Soon It Will by Robert Simonson of the New York Times dated May 8, 2017 shed more light on the subject:

Kevin Richards, the new senior marketing director for Southern Comfort, admitted as much, saying that when Sazerac bought it, the brand was “in danger of losing a lot of relevance in the mind of consumers.”

Sazerac hopes to reverse that. A new-and-improved Southern Comfort will hit the shelves in July, with a redesigned label and bottle. Flavored versions like Lime Comfort and Caramel Comfort will be phased out.

Simonson also adds:

But, most important, Southern Comfort will get back the one ingredient that many people have long assumed it contained: whiskey.

Once upon a time, Southern Comfort did include whiskey, though the complete formula has always been kept a secret. It was created by Martin W. Heron, purportedly while working at a New Orleans saloon. Over the years, it made hay out of slogans like “None Genuine but Mine” and “the Grand Old Drink of the South.” In 1939, in conjunction with the release of the film “Gone With the Wind,” the company promoted the Scarlett O’Hara cocktail, made of the liqueur, cranberry juice and lime juice.

But by the time Brown-Forman bought the brand in 1979, the kick inside the bottle was provided not by whiskey, but by grain neutral spirit — basically a generic alcohol free of character, not unlike vodka.

Well alrighty then. I believe the bottle that was on the back bar was the newer version but I can't be 100% sure. Either way, while I didn't see the bartender make the drink, I would make the assumption that the Soco Lime I ordered was made with a 2-1 ratio of Southern Comfort to Roses Lime. Why not fresh lime juice?

 

I'm not sure I've ever seen a Soco Lime made with fresh lime. I know I was taught to use Roses Lime. But maybe I'll make one with Fresh Lime for a later post. Ok then. How was it.

To be honest, I can't say I've ever tasted a Soco Lime before. Not to say that I haven't had one before. I've always just shot it instead of sipped it. Hey, I started going to bar in the early 1990s. Don't judge me, Soco Lime was one of the shots dujour for the time.

I have to admit, it was rather tasty. The Southern Comfort and the Rose's Lime works very well together. Not too sweet and not too tart. Though to be honest, I wouldn't want to have more than one or two. After that, the sweetness might be a bit too much on the palate.  As usual, here are my thought at the point of having the drink courtesy of my YouTube channel:

For a change of pace, I'd recommend a Soco Lime on the rocks. Go for it!!!

Since the article by Simonson mentions that the flavored Southern Comfort versions would be eliminated, here is an oldie but goodie post from 2012 by yours truly entitled: Southern Comfort Bold Black Cherry Give it a read.

Until Then Happy Drinking,
SiscoVanilla

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