SOUTH has joined the restaurant scene on North Broad Street, and you’re going to want to check it- and its bar menu - out. Opened on September 18 by veteran restaurateurs Robert and Benjamin Bynum (Warmdaddy’s, Heirloom, Paris Bistro, and the former Zanzibar Blue), SOUTH features New Southern cuisine from New Orleans native Chef Paul Martin, a bourbon-forward cocktail list, and live jazz. The welcoming three-room space has a restaurant, a 75-seat jazz parlor, and a bar, plus an enchanting outdoor seating area.

I spent some time at the bar with bartender Bohdan Darway who created the cocktail menu and had a taste of his bourbon-based drinks (the bar is stocked with 50 American whiskies), bottle-conditioned cocktails, and a fresh draft creation. Well-balanced and made with house-made syrups, juices, infusions, and herbs grown on windowsills in the restaurant, you don’t have to be a hardcore whiskey lover to enjoy these creations.

The Dust Devil features Jim Beam Devil’s Cut, lemon, grapefruit syrup, honey, and cinnamon bitters, the Kentucky Butler mixes Bulleit Bourbon, lemon, bergamot syrup, cucumber, and mint, and the Georgia Peach Julep showcases Lexington Bourbon, peaches, and fresh SOUTH mint. If you want a classic, opt for the SOUTH Sazerac with Bulleit Rye, Salignac VS, Demerara, and House Sazerac Blend Bitters complete with an Absinthe rinse.

Darway also makes bottle-conditioned cocktails (pictured above) that age for a day or two to give the ingredients time to mingle. Those include the New Orleans Buck made with Brugal Rum, ginger syrup, orange juice, and lime and the Grapefruit Collins with Blue Coat Gin, Grapefruit, lemon, and cinnamon syrup.

A cocktail on draft rounds out the specialties of the house. Currently the daft cocktail is a Sunday Afternoon Tea made with Tito’s Vodka, citrus, spiced honey, and green tea.

Ten beers on tap include selections from New Belgium, Victory, Evolution, and St. Benjamin’s, while multiple firkins round out the tap list. The bottle and can list includes Yuengling Lager, Corona, Allagash Black, Abita Purple Haze, Firestone Double Jack, and Victory Headwater.

Wine drinkers can order Estancia Pinot Grigio and Mark West Pinot Noir on draft or order one of seven glasses or bottles of Californian wines. The wine list will grow, and the wines to come are set to be from American wineries across the country.

A special bar menu includes several southern-inspired sharable plates. Try the SOUTH Hush Puppies with cream cheese honey butter, the Pork Boudin Croquettes with house creole, mustard, and pickled cabbage, the SOUTH Burger which is a wood-grilled Pat LaFrieda Special Blend, pimento cheese, fried green tomato, with buttermilk mayo, the Gator Po’ Boy with alligator, remoulade, lettuce, tomato, pickle, and house cut fries, the Crispy Fried Oysters with smoked bacon, spinach, herbsaint butter, and green tomato jam, and more.

Happy Hour is Tuesday through Friday from 4–6PM with half-priced draft beers, $5 wine pours, $2 off cocktails, and a selection of half-priced appetizers including Crawfish Fritters and the Croquettes.

In addition to the daily happy hour specials, bar patrons can enjoy classes and tastings. Tuesdays bring The Art of the Cocktail Classes and Wednesdays feature wine samples and tastings. Thursdays are Women & Whiskey Complimentary Tasting and Instruction and Fridays feature a Taste New & Different Liquors and Liqueurs class.

And all of that is just what’s going on at the bar. To get the full SOUTH experience, you’ll want to start at the bar that opens at 4 PM. After a cocktail or two, move to the dining area that opens at 5 PM and dine from Chef Martin’s menu that he says offers a “freshness of locality married with traditions of the South.” Finally, end your evening in the Jazz Parlor that will open at 6 PM on nights when local and national musicians play.

SOUTH, 600 N Broad St.; 215-600-0220

Photos by Robin Shreeves