Martin Wilkes Heron

Martin Wilkes Heron (July 4, 1850 – April 17, 1920)[1] was an Irish American bartender, saloon-keeper, and liquor manufacturer best known for creating the liqueur known as Southern Comfort.

[2] According to the Brown-Forman Corporation (manufacturers of Southern Comfort), in the early 1870s Heron was living in New Orleans, working as a liquor rectifier and bar tender.

According to company "legend" Heron created the formula for Southern Comfort (reportedly originally known as "Cuffs and Buttons"[3]) in 1874 while working at Arthur McCauley's saloon at the southeast corner of the intersection of Richard Street and South Peters Street in the Lower Garden District section of New Orleans.

[10] The former location of Heron's tavern is approximately 1000 feet from the north leg of Gateway Arch at the Gateway Arch National Park (the current day location of the garden cafe at the St. Louis Crowne Plaza Hotel).In his old age, Wilkes lived at 4950 McPherson Ave, in a St. Louis neighborhood now known as the Central West End.

In 1904 Heron was awarded a Gold Medal for Southern Comfort at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition (the St. Louis World's Fair).