After neglecting its heritage for close to 30 years, Southern Comfort has finally returned to its New Orleans roots. It has also gone back to its original, whiskey-forward recipe.
2017 was a big year for Southern Comfort. In addition to being tabbed “The Spirit of New Orleans” the brand introduced a robust, whiskey-forward 80 proof black label expression to go along with the original 70 proof and 100 proof bottlings. Southern Comfort’s parent company, Sazerac, also broke ground on The Sazerac House, a cocktail museum which will call New Orleans’s historic Canal Street home.
With a new look and renewed spirit—both literally and figuratively—Southern Comfort is writing the next chapter in its iconic history. We asked Mark Treichel, Sazerac’s marketing manager, to reflect on the brand’s historic past and give us a glimpse of what the future might hold for Southern Comfort.
Southern Comfort: The Spirit of New Orleans
Mark Treichel: I think it is critical to have that connection to New Orleans. One, I think the sense of place and authenticity is a vital part of the Southern Comfort story. Consumers are searching for products that tie to a specific sense of place, and New Orleans clearly has that in spades. New Orleans is the birthplace of the modern American cocktail and it still has the vibrant cocktail culture today. The city of New Orleans, its spirit and soul, is the magic we’re trying to capture in each bottle of Southern Comfort.
Southern Comfort: The Original Cocktail Brand
MT: Southern Comfort goes back to 1874 when bartender M.W. Heron was at the time taking harsh whiskies and blending them with fruits and spices to create something that was very drinkable. Those first iterations were called “Cuffs and Buttons” but after a decade he renamed his creation “Southern Comfort.” Heron was essentially the industry’s first mixologist and that idea of Southern Comfort being a cocktail-friendly spirits really ties into the heart and the anchor of the brand.
In the 1960s Southern Comfort put a big focus on getting the brand into the hands of bartenders and trying to make sure it was on their radar. At the time, they put out these small pamphlets, or Bartender Guides, that each contained 15-20 recipes for Southern Comfort cocktails. So for more than 50 years Southern Comfort was a cocktail brand and we’re hoping to bring it back to that esteem again.
Southern Comfort: The Whiskey
MT: We decided to reintroduce whiskey into Southern Comfort because we wanted to bring the brand back to its original heritage and authenticity. We wanted to take the brand back to its roots and remind customers what was so great about the spirit in its heyday, and that was the whiskey.
The piece that is really exciting for the industry is the 80 proof Black Label. Compared to Original Southern Comfort the 80 proof has a stronger whiskey backbone that works in a lot of classic cocktails. It also still has the namesake Southern Comfort approachability with the fruits and spices that can contribute a lot of flavor to drinks as well. It is the perfect combination of that robust whiskey character and approachable flavors, all in one spirit. To me, that is the Spirit of New Orleans in a bottle.