The Scarlet O'Hara Cocktail: An Easy Southern Comfort Recipe

By Colleen Graham

Updated 05/20/19

Scarlet O'Hara Cocktail with Southern Comfort
The Scarlet O'Hara Cocktail is a delightful mix of Southern Comfort and cranberry named after the famous Gone With the Wind character. Photo Courtesy: S&C Design Studios
  • Total: 3 mins
  • Prep: 3 mins
  • Cook: 0 mins
  • Yield: 1 cocktail (1 serving)

Named for the southern belle from Gone With the Wind, the Scarlet O'Hara is as genteel a drink as its namesake.

The cocktail features Southern Comfort, a favorite below the Mason-Dixon line. Southern Comfort is a fruity, apricot-like liqueur. Which pairs nicely in this beverage with cranberry juice and a dash of lime (an optional, yet preferred ingredient). 

It is only fitting to pair this cocktail up with the Rhett Butler. Both use Southern Comfort, making it even easier to mix the two at the same party.

The Scarlet O'Hara has been a popular drink for some time and is a drink that every bartender should know.

Ingredients

Steps to Make It

  1. Pour the Southern Comfort and lime juice into a collins glass filled with ice.

  2. Fill with cranberry juice.

  3. Garnish with a lime wedge.

How Strong Is the Scarlet O'Hara?

Southern Comfort can vary in strength. In the U.S. is either 100-, 70-, or 42-proof and that is quite the range. The 70 proof falls pretty evenly.


In this case, with a 4-ounce pour of cranberry, this mixed drink is right around 11 percent ABV (22 proof). It really is a genteel drink.