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  1. Southern Living
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  3. 9 Signature Drinks Served by the South’s Best Bars 2019—And Their Secret Recipes, Too

9 Signature Drinks Served by the South’s Best Bars 2019—And Their Secret Recipes, Too

By Kaitlyn Yarborough
March 12, 2019
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Credit: Johnny White
Southerners like our drinks just how we like our football team to perform and our women to grow up: strong. And, unless sipping on something of the whiskey neat variety, ice-cold. Other than that, we don’t like to discriminate between dive bars and ritzy lounges, or even top-shelf liquor and mountain-made moonshine. We have a deep appreciation for Kentucky bourbon but won’t turn down a humble American brew, either. You see, Southerners are a social bunch, and so we congregate in watering holes just like our South’s Best Bars 2019. These spots serve up some of the most iconic cocktails in the region, and each has a signature drink they’d happily bet on in a bracket. From Flora-Bama’s “World Famous” Bushwacker to the Bar at Husk’s historic Charleston Light Dragoon’s Punch, these tipples are worth recreating at home—and now, you can. Read on for the signature drinks (recipes included!) served by this year’s South’s Best Bars.
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Sloppy Joe’s: The Sloppy Rita

Credit: Johnny White

Key West, Florida
sloppyjoes.com

Sloppy Joe’s sells more than 60,000 Sloppy Joe’s sandwiches a year for an average of 165 per day. To go along with this yummy sandwich, over 56,000 Sloppy Rita’s are served each year—for an average of 154 Sloppy Rita’s a day. (You can't argue with those numbers!)

Ingredients: 1 oz. Sauza Blue Tequila, ½ oz. Gran Gala, Sour Mix, Splash of Orange Juice

Directions: Pour ingredients into shaker and shake to combine; Pour contents of shaker into 12-14 oz. glass with salted rim; Top with dash of club soda and a squeeze of fresh lime.

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Flora-Bama: The “World Famous” Bushwacker

Credit: Ricki Stewart

Pensacola, Florida
florabama.com

Co-owner Pat McClellan brought this boozy adult milkshake to Flora-Bama in 1984, and everyone went crazy. It's been around almost as long as the Flora-Bama as the bar’s house drink.

Ingredients: Light Rum, Dark Rum, Amaretto, Creme de Cocoa, Coffee Liquor, and Milk

Directions: Blend it all with ice cubes into a ice-cold spiked adult milkshake.

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The Backstreet Pub: Abundant Sunshine IPA by Waterman’s Brewing

Credit: Waterman's Brewing

Beaufort, North Carolina
thebackstreetpub.com

A customer favorite, this North Carolina craft brew is light with a straw-colored glow, lingering piney resin, and notes of mango, grapefruit, lemon, and coconut.

“In my opinion, this is the PERFECT IPA—best one I have ever had!” –Backstreet Pub owner, Liz Kopf

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The Esso Club: "Build Your Own" Bloody Mary Bar

Credit: Michelle Lynn Morris

Clemson, South Carolina
theessoclub.com

The Esso Club partnered with a local Bloody Mary Mix out of South Carolina's St. Helena Island this past year. The college town bar mixes Seaside Grown Mix with a few other ingredients, cucumber vodka, pepper vodka, and some Clemson Tiger love from their bartenders to create the perfect Bloody Mary.

Ingredients: Build Your Own Bar (gherkins, pickled okra, cube cheese, pretzels, olives, beef jerky, Worcestershire, Horseradish, Jalapenos, pepperoni and occasionally bacon); using Seaside Grown Mix, cucumber vodka, and pepper vodka (optional)

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The Carousel Bar & Lounge at Hotel Monteleone: Vieux Carre Cocktail

Credit: Courtesy The Carousel Bar

New Orleans, Louisiana
hotelmonteleone.com

More than one famous drink was first concocted by bartenders at this long-time favorite New Orleans hotspot and the city’s only revolving bar, including the Vieux Carre cocktail.

Ingredients: ¼ oz. Benedictine, ¼ oz. Cognac, ½ oz. Sazerac Rye, ¼ oz. Sweet Vermouth, 3 drops Angostura Biters, 3 drops Peychaud Bitters

Directions: Place ingredients over ice and garnish with a twist of lemon.

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Pat O'Brien's: The Hurricane

Credit: Michael Palumbo

New Orleans, Louisiana
patobriens.com

At the close of 2018, this bar celebrated its 85th anniversary, and the Hurricane is its longtime New Orleans classic, dating back to the 1940s.

Ingredients: 4 oz. Gold rum, 4 oz. Pat O’s Hurricane Mix

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The Bar at Husk: Charleston Light Dragoon’s Punch

Credit: The Neighborhood Dining Group

Charleston, South Carolina
huskrestaurant.com

The longest-running cocktail featured on the bar’s menu, the Charleston Light Dragoon’s Punch is named after the “militia” that created it. It is one of The Bar at Husk’s most beloved drinks because of its historical ties to Charleston, but also because it’s a crowd-pleaser. It follows the line of an old rhyme of how to make a punch. One of sour, two of sweet, three of strong, four of weak, creating a well-balanced, easy to drink cocktail.

Ingredients: 4 cups raw sugar, 3 cups lemon juice, 4 qt. black tea, 4 qt. California Brandy, 1 qt. Jamaican Rum, ½ pt. Peach Brandy, peels of 6 lemons cut into silvers, and carbonated water

Directions: Mix in order given, and add carbonated water before serving.

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Ice Plant Bar: Tiempo de Fiesta Excellente

Credit: Brady Bigalke

St. Augustine, Florida
iceplantbar.com

Inspired by Trash Tiki, this drink is anything but boring. The Ice Plant team takes spent avocado pits that the kitchen doesn’t use and toasts them like almonds for an orgeat, which lends a slight nutty, creamy, and floral flavor to this seasonal signature drink.

Ingredients: 1 1/4 oz. Arette blanco tequila, 1/2 oz. Cappelletti, 1/4 oz. Hamilton pimento dram, 3/4 oz. pineapple juice, 1/2 oz. lime juice, 1/2 oz. avocado pit orgeat

Directions: Combine ingredients and garnish with mint leaf and pineapple pulp chip.

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Thirsty Monk: Rattle Skull Cocktail

Credit: Joanna Postlethwaite

Asheville, North Carolina
monkpub.com

When Derby goers at Churchill Downs wake in the morning, they'd surely go straight for this pick-me-up version of a beloved Mint Julep.

Ingredients: Old Grand-Dad Bonded Bourbon, Brother Noah Stout Reduction*, Xocolatl Bitters, Mint Nectar, Cardamom Cream, Stumptown Cold Brew Coffee

*Brother Noah Belgian Stout gets a café twist from finishing on medium-roast coffee beans.

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1 of 9 Sloppy Joe’s: The Sloppy Rita
2 of 9 Flora-Bama: The “World Famous” Bushwacker
3 of 9 The Backstreet Pub: Abundant Sunshine IPA by Waterman’s Brewing
4 of 9 The Esso Club: "Build Your Own" Bloody Mary Bar
5 of 9 The Carousel Bar & Lounge at Hotel Monteleone: Vieux Carre Cocktail
6 of 9 Pat O'Brien's: The Hurricane
7 of 9 The Bar at Husk: Charleston Light Dragoon’s Punch
8 of 9 Ice Plant Bar: Tiempo de Fiesta Excellente
9 of 9 Thirsty Monk: Rattle Skull Cocktail

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9 Signature Drinks Served by the South’s Best Bars 2019—And Their Secret Recipes, Too
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