Southern Comfort Manhattan

By Steve Kilcullen Jump to Recipe

Relax with a sweet and spiced Southern Comfort Manhattan, a delicious take on the classic libation.

Tonight’s cocktail could be seen as an example of “worlds colliding”, but in the best possible sense. The Southern Comfort Manhattan, even when you look at its name, is an example of the sometimes cheeky and charming combinations that we often find in the mixed drinks world. The phrase descending incongruity comes to mind.

In college, I took a comedy class, thinking it’d be a laugh-a-minute riot. Not much guffawing and clutching at my sides happened, even though some chuckles did occur, but most importantly, I learned some literary concepts that stuck with me, like descending incongruity. What is that exactly, you ask? Basically, it’s a clash of concepts. Like, for example, the character of Ash in the Evil Dead movies is heroic to be sure, but he’s also a colossal moron, and has no idea that he is. The combination of a valiant image that’s paired with an almost total dunderheadedness is usually comic gold.

Tonight’s beverage has nothing to do with being funny, but the clash of strange bedfellows still remains. The original Manhattan cocktail is said to have been invented in the Big Apple sometime in the 1800s, and originally mixed with a rye whiskey. Today’s drink uses a concoction that sprang from the Big Easy in America’s South during the same century, and together they craft a sweet and spicy tipple that, it turns out, is far from incongruous and closer to being a perfect little sipper on a lazy afternoon.

What is Southern Comfort?

For years, I honestly thought that Southern Comfort, or SoCo as it is sometimes called, was either a rye whiskey or a bourbon. Turns out, it is a liqueur, and not a liquor. Created in New Orleans by Martin Wilkes Heron in 1874, Southern Comfort was originally a whiskey-based concoction that added fruit and spice infusions. Years after, it was made instead with a grain alcohol foundation, but went back to using whiskey in 2016, after the Sazerac Company purchased and began producing the cordial. It is often described as “easier” to drink than actual whiskey, and can be served on its own over ice, or mixed into cocktails, such as the one we’re looking at today, the Southern Comfort Manhattan.

What glassware and garnish are used?

Serve your cocktail “up”, without ice, in a coupe, then garnish with an orange peel and a maraschino cherry. For an extra cold sip, chill your glass in the freezer for around 15 minutes before adding your drink.

What is the best vermouth to use in this drink?

I’m a total snob when it comes to the vermouth I use, be it dry, white or sweet. My preference for the latter, which is used in this cocktail, is a Carpano Antica Formula. It’s a little on the pricey side, but incredibly worth it.

Other Manhattan variations worth trying

If tonight’s smooth and sweet version of the iconic and historic tipple has put you in the mood for a few more drams like it, peruse some of the other Manhattan recipes we have here at Twist & Toast. Robust, complex, and dripping with atmosphere, each take on the legendary mixture will evoke whatever mysteries your imagination can conjure.

• Black Manhattan – Dark, bittersweet and unforgettable.
• Rum Manhattan – A spiced rum adds some extra complexity to an already robust sipper.
• Dry Manhattan – Dry vermouth replaces the sweet in this crisp cocktail.
• Perfect Manhattan – Sweet and dry vermouth combine to make this Manhattan a perfect one.