11 Drinks with Southern Comfort

0 comments

When I hear Southern Comfort, I think of college parties and sweet mixed drinks. Sometimes you just want a drink on the sweet side that is easy to throw together. Southern Comfort is flavorful on its own, so a bunch of mixers are not required to make a good drink with it. 

Below we’ve created a list of 11 delicious cocktails with Southern Comfort that can liven up any libation. They can be made in a jiffy and require minimal ingredients. 

Before we get started, let’s cover exactly what the spirit in question is. 

alabama slammer

What is Southern Comfort?

Southern Comfort dates back to 1889 in New Orleans, Louisiana. It was initially a mix of whiskey, honey, and spices, but eventually, the whiskey was replaced with a lower-quality spirit. Decades later, a fellow New Orleans-based company, Sazerac, purchased them and put the whiskey back in. 

Southern Comfort is an American liqueur that tastes like whiskey, vanilla, fruit, and cinnamon. The idea is that people want a good whiskey but don’t always want a straight liquor taste. It is 35% ABV, so it is pretty strong but still smooth and rich. 

Southern Comfort has come out with a few flavors over the years. Cherry and lime are a few they have dabbled in, but today they mainly advertise the Original, Black, and 100 products. All of the drinks listed below use the original Southern Comfort, but the Margarita can employ Southern Comfort Lime if you can find a bottle. 

Is Southern Comfort a Whiskey or Bourbon?

Southern Comfort is considered a liqueur, not a whiskey or bourbon. It includes many spices and flavors and didn’t include any whiskey for a long time. Today, the liqueur does contain whiskey again but is sweet and fruit-forward rather than harsh tasting. 

Because of its association with whiskey, Southern Comfort is found alongside other whiskeys. Still, it actually did not contain whiskey again until 2016. If you try it now, you will find that the taste is significantly better since that change. 

The following cocktails are crowd-pleasers that will liven up any night out. My personal favorite is the Apple Pie Spice drink. It’s my go-to when I want to warm up and watch a movie or even sit by a bonfire. 

These drinks are quick and easy to make, so I definitely recommend whipping them up at home. They’re sure to get any party started and impress your guests by being absolutely delicious. 

Grab your bar cart, and let’s get started!

11 Drinks with Southern Comfort

Alabama Slammer

The Alabama Slammer cocktail is a fun and fruity game day drink and probably the most popular drink with Southern Comfort. It is named after the University of Alabama Crimson Tide because its red color matches the school’s colors. Roll Tide!

This citrusy drink features Southern Comfort, Amaretto, orange juice, and Sloe Gin. Amaretto is a nutty, fruity liqueur. Sloe gin is a British liqueur made using sloes, a berry-like fruit similar to plums. 

Alabama Slammers are sweet, but they pack a punch, as you can tell from the ingredients. This is why they are great party drinks and easy to “slam” down!

Southern Old Fashioned

Old Fashioneds are the cocktail of cocktails. Spirit, citrus, and sugar are the three key ingredients to a proper cocktail. You have undoubtedly heard of an Old Fashioned before, but we are giving you a slightly different version. 

By using Southern Comfort as the spirit in an Old Fashioned, you get the added spices and citrus flavors that it brings to the table. This makes for a sweeter cocktail but is still complex in flavor. 

If you are a person who thinks the Old Fashioned is perfect as is, I would not necessarily recommend this. Though it is tasty, it can be a bit syrupy for some palettes.

You will measure each ingredient and stir with a bar spoon to make one of these. Drop in your large ice cube, express an orange rind, and serve. Typically, these drinks get a Luxardo cherry, too. 

Southern Blackberry Mule

If you like Moscow Mules or Kentucky Mules, you have got to try a Southern Mule. All you have to do is replace the vodka with Southern Comfort! Dark liquor adds a new component to the cocktail making it spicier but adding the sweet goodness of Southern Comfort. 

Southern Mules are super refreshing and very straightforward to make. All you have to do is shake ice, Southern Comfort, and lime juice. Then, strain over fresh ice and top with ginger beer. I like to enjoy these to cool down and wind down in the summertime. They are also a fun happy hour drink to get your night started! 

Another perk of drinking Mules (other than the cute copper mug) is that ginger is soothing to the stomach. If you’re a bit sensitive to certain alcohols, you can opt for a Mule and not worry about getting a stomach ache. 

Southern Comfort Hot Apple Pie Spice

If you’re reading this in the cold winter months, you’re probably looking for a different type of drink than what we have listed so far. Does spiked apple cider sound more your speed?

This cocktail does not have a specific recipe but has some combination of Southern Comfort, cranberry juice, apple cider, honey, cinnamon, cloves, and vanilla. I prefer to use high-quality apple cider and extra cloves because those are my flavors. 

Again, Southern Comfort is already sweet, so don’t feel the need to add a ton of extra sugar or honey. Southern Comfort does a beautiful job at warming you up, so this boozy cider is great for cold winter nights when you want to cuddle up. 

Sometimes, I make a batch and bring it with me camping or to an outdoor event in a thermos. It travels well this way and is easily shared with friends. This way, your drink can stay warm, and so can you! 

Scarlett O’Hara Cocktail

This fruity and tart cocktail is named after the Gone With The Wind star, Scarlett O’Hara. It has lime, cranberry juice, and Southern Comfort. It is slightly sour because of the lime and cranberry, but the liqueur’s sweetness balances the drink out nicely. 

These are sometimes served over ice but can be served up with a lime rind as well. This drink is fruity but definitely packs a punch. I think of it as a combination of sweet, sour, and spicy all in one. 

These drinks used to be all the rage, but their popularity has declined with the rise of other cranberry cocktails like the Cosmopolitan. Because the Scarlett O’Hara Cocktail is not as popular as it once was, you may need to remind the bartender of what comes in it. 

Southern Comfort Milkshake

A Southern Comfort boozy milkshake can be a yummy dessert or a poolside refresher. Southern Comfort is already a little fruity and sweet, so it blends perfectly in milkshakes. This one, in particular, is smooth, rich, creamy, and has intense caramel flavors. 

These are most often made with vanilla ice cream and peaches. I like to drizzle some caramel sauce either in the blender or on top of my final product. It will be creamy and smooth, but add some milk and blend again if yours comes out too thick. This will thin it out without changing the flavor too much. 

If you don’t have any peaches on hand, don’t fret. This milkshake is just as tasty without them. If you need a bit more flavor, consider using butter pecan ice cream instead of vanilla. 

Southern Whiskey Sour

Whiskey Sours are a classic drink, but you might want to give this sweeter variation a try. Using Southern Comfort instead of bourbon introduces a sweeter component. The fruity and spicy flavors also blend beautifully with the tart lemon. 

Southern Whiskey Sours are my drink of choice when I want a strong drink that isn’t too spirit-forward. They’re so good that ordering another round happens a little too quickly! 

When making a Whisky Sour, don’t forget the egg whites. They play an important role in creating the foamy top layer and making the drink richer. Aquafaba works as a substitute for egg whites and doesn’t change the drink’s flavor. It’s also vegan! 

Southern Bloody Mary

The Bloody Mary is the ultimate brunch cocktail/hangover cure. What if I said it was fantastic with Southern Comfort? Well, it is. 

I like to garnish mine with bacon and a sweet pickle. Of course, you can still order this extra spicy, and it turns out great. It may seem odd, but you would be surprised how well the tart tomato tastes with the Southern Comfort spices and notes. 

Sometimes we make these at home for fun. I use Zing Zang mix and Tobasco, but there are some really fun Bloody Mary mixes on the market that do not get enough credit. You can also make your own Bloody Mary mix pretty easily! 

Frozen Southern Hurricane

This slushie-like treat combines two southern drinks into one sweet party drink. Hurricanes are popularly enjoyed on Bourbon Street because they’re tasty and easy to drink a lot (fast). 

For something colder and even more refreshing, the Frozen Southern Hurricane comes in handy. It has orange juice, pineapple juice, grenadine, and sweet and sour mix. This drink is pretty sweet, but if you like Southern Comfort, that’s probably right up your alley. 

For easier assembly, use the frozen cans of juice, so your drink is already frozen! This way, you can use less ice and yield a less watery drink. My favorite way to enjoy this frozen treat is by the pool. I pre-batch it and put it in insulated cups to stay cold longer! 

Southern Comfort Margarita

Don’t worry – no one is mixing Southern Comfort and tequila. Honestly, this drink doesn’t really taste like a Margarita at all. However, the ingredients mimic that of the sacred Margarita. 

The Southern Comfort Margarita has lime, sweet and sour mix, and Southern Comfort Lime. This isn’t exactly the most sophisticated of drinks, but drinkers of this spirit probably aren’t turning their noses up at some sour mix. 

I recommend skipping the sour mix and just using lime and agave. I hate to depend too much on a mix that I can’t control. By squeezing your own lime, you can control how tart or sweet you want each drink and avoid the risk of disliking the sour mix you chose. 

Slam Dunk

The last drink on our list is something anyone can whip up in their kitchen. Orange juice, cranberry juice, and Southern Comfort are all that is needed for this drink. 

You don’t even need to shake this one. Simply pour over ice and stir! This is one of those crowd-pleasers that you can serve up in seconds. Because the ingredients are so commonplace, this is a pretty informal drink and easy to whip up for a night in. 

Other Cocktail Recipes

21 Classic Rum Cocktails

24 Easy Prosecco Cocktail Recipes

18 Easy Gin Cocktails

Pink Squirrel Cocktail Recipe

Fresh Pineapple Margaritas

Pineapple Orange Coconut Rum Cocktail

Tequila Cocktails

That’s a Wrap

Southern Comfort gets a bad wrap for being too sugary for most serious bourbon drinkers. This is probably true, but it is best not to compare the two. Southern Comfort is actually a liqueur with fruity and intricate spices. 

I find southern comfort tasty and handy for drinkers who want classic cocktails but need something a little less boozy. For example, the Southern Whiskey Sour is a sweeter take on the classic Whiskey Sour. The Southern Old Fashioned or Comfort Fashioned is a sweet (and spicier) Old Fashioned. 

We didn’t list these options out, but Southern Comfort is often enjoyed neat or just with cola, too. It’s got a complex flavor that frequently gets overlooked. Southern Comfort already has a lot of flavors, so a ton of complex juices or bitters aren’t necessary!

I hope you can find a cocktail on this list that you love. The beauty of these cocktails is that they can easily be made at home with minimal ingredients. Most of them aren’t a challenge for even novice drinkers. 

11 Drinks with Southern Comfort

4 from 55 votes
Recipe by Laura Ritterman

Ingredients

  • Alabama Slammer

  • Southern Old Fashioned

  • Southern Blackberry Mule

  • Southern Comfort Hot Apple Pie Spice

  • Scarlett O’Hara Cocktail

  • Southern Comfort Milkshake

  • Southern Whiskey Sour

  • Southern Bloody Mary

  • Frozen Southern Hurricane

  • Southern Comfort Margarita

  • Slam Dunk

Directions

  • Select your favorite drink from the list
  • Gather the ingredients to make it
  • Serve fresh

Like this recipe?

Follow us @recipefairy on Pinterest

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*