Alabama Slammer Shooter

The story goes that the Alabama slammer was created in the 1970s near the University of Alabama. The school colors include crimson, which is the color of this shot. It was an era of sweet, fruity drinks, a number of which included the sloe gin and Southern Comfort found in the Alabama slammer (both of which have also since lost their mass appeal). For one reason or another, people started to switch up this recipe. It seems that the point was not always what was in the shot, but its final color. Maybe one person didn't have sloe gin or another had a bottle of whiskey. If it was red and included amaretto, it seemed perfectly logical to call it an Alabama slammer. It's also interesting to note that many tall mixed drink versions are yellow because they use more orange and/or pineapple juice. These are also known as yellowhammers, which may be the original name (it's also Alabama's state bird).

Southern Comfort (or SoCo, for short) is one of those mystery liquors that often confuses drinkers. It's familiar and you know how it tastes, but you really don't know what it is. It has always looked like whiskey and had flavor nuances of whiskey, but Southern Comfort hasn't always included actual whiskey.

The story began in 1874 when Martin Wilkes Heron added fruits and spices to mask the harsh taste of whiskey he was serving at a New Orleans saloon. It caught on with drinkers and was marketed as Southern Comfort. Though the taste has remained similar, the recipe changed over the years as the brand was bought and sold by large liquor companies. For years, it was made with a neutral grain spirit similar to vodka and (not always) a hint of bourbon. It's unclear if it was aged, but it did contain sugar as well, so it was technically a liqueur.

In 2017, the Sazerac Company purchased the brand and revised the recipe to include real whiskey from their own stock. The recipe remains a secret—the fruit flavor is dominated by apricot, though many drinkers note a peachy taste. The brand cunningly labels it as "Spirit whiskey with natural flavors and caramel color." It is definitely not bourbon because it includes additives. Until more is revealed, the best description remains that Southern Comfort is a whiskey-based liqueur flavored with fruits and spices. Beyond the original 70-proof version, it's also available in 80-proof and 100-proof bottlings.