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

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.

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.

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

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)

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.

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

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.

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.

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.