How The Elmo Cola Cocktail Became Indiana's Regional Drink

St. Elmo's Steakhouse has been an Indiana icon since 1902, but it's only within the last few years that the storied restaurant spawned a cocktail icon. The restaurant has long been revered for its history, its tourism-generating contribution to the Indianapolis culinary scene, and for being one of the best steak destinations in the United States. But even for such a legendary business, there's room for a refresh — a bit of viral buzz, a hook to engage a new generation of patrons, another selling point to add to the business. And that, for St. Elmo's Steakhouse, has been the Elmo Cola.

How did a midwestern steakhouse over a century old suddenly become known nationwide for a cocktail? The drink lit up traditional media and social media alike by early 2020; in the months before that, father-and-son owners of St. Elmo's, Stephen and Craig Huse, hired a hospitality consultant named Tim Kirkland to both train staff and reinvigorate their cocktail menu with a few new additions. One of Kirkland's drink ideas was the Elmo Cola: bourbon infused with vanilla, maraschino cherries, and cherry juice, topped with Coca-Cola. Decadent yet simple and boozy yet nostalgic with those childhood-like sweet flavors, the tipple was an instant hit. According to Punch, St. Elmo's sells about 75 of the cocktail per night, and people both in Indianapolis and far outside of it have taken notice, with copycat Elmo Colas popping up on Instagram, recipes published in respected cocktail references, and an overall adoption of Elmo Cola as Indiana's best-known drink.

States have signature cocktails based on local flavors and ingredients, plus bars that whip up crowd-pleasers drawing more people to the area. Colorado has the Colorado Bulldog, Kentucky has the mint julep, Louisiana has the sazerac, and so on. Now, Indiana has the Elmo Cola, a famed drink from a famed restaurant. It's safe to say when looking at where to get the best cocktails in every state that it's St. Elmo's Steakhouse for the Hoosier state.

If you can't get to Indiana, though, you can experience a taste of the state at home. There are copycat recipes online, which essentially boil down to combining bourbon with cherries, vanilla, and cola. But St. Elmo's has also capitalized on its success with bottled and canned versions. They're available in stores and chains in several different states, and you can order the bottle on St. Elmo's website. The can is basically Elmo Cola, ready to go. For the bottled version, you need to add cola to complete the cocktail — it also slightly varies from the restaurant's iteration in that it uses Midwest Grain Product bourbon from Indiana rather than the restaurant's Maker's Mark go-to. the bourbon is made with rye, which nicely balances the cherry and vanilla with spice. The cherries are both sweet and sour, and a little molasses mimics the sweetness of the restaurant's maraschino cherries. Pour, top with soda, garnish with a cherry, and have a sip of Indiana.