I meant to try the mint julep and the pineapple upside down cake cocktail at Santa Monica’s newest happy hour hot spot, South, but on this sultry late afternoon I wanted something simpler and not too sweet so I ordered meself the ‘Bama Boilermaker ($10).

Having never partied hardy with frat boys before, I had never heard of a boilermaker. And after this one, I wondered what took me so long. Dropping a shot of bourbon in a cold glass of beer? Genius! And tasty! Yes, it’s not really a creative cocktail compared to past libations I’ve had but South put it on its menu so it counts. And it really hit the spot on a hot day and was soo easy to drink quickly. Dangerous.

FYI, the bar uses Jim Beam but you can specify a different bourbon if you want (price might change though).

Word to clean freaks, like me, the drink tastes just as good without your having to drop the whole shot glass in. The server had set the glass down on our table and I just didn’t feel like putting that in my pint of beer. So I poured the shot in the beer and it tasted just fine. Not as dramatic but still got the job done.

As for a more detailed review of the place, I’ve decided to withhold judgment until it got its bearings. (The day I went they were a bit short staffed so service was slowww.) Maybe I’ll peek in again in a month or so.

I will say, though, that if you want to be able to score a place to sit and enjoy your meal, get there before 5:30pm. If you want a fairly quiet place to enjoy conversation with your food, grab a table out on the patio where there don’t seem to be any speakers, therefore no loud music.

More pictures of happy hour at South.

South
3001 Wilshire Boulevard
Santa Monica, California 90403 (map)
(310) 428-4667