Signature Cocktails
Alex Elias
Courtesy of The Country Club
When you’re a guest at a private club, it’s often the subtle details that leave a lasting impression—far more than the numbers penciled in on the scorecard. At some clubs, those details are as distinctive as a signature cocktail.
If any club is renowned for its drink, it is The Country Club (Brookline, MA). The cocktail—a rum-based concoction called the Fernando—is named after longtime bartender Fernando Figueroa.
Lyman Bullard, the club’s President, told The New York Times, “So many guests who have never been to The Country Club have heard about the Fernando. They want one as soon as they get off the course—or they don’t even wait that long.”
Members echo that sentiment.
“A round at The Country Club is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but it’s not complete without counting your scorecard and settling a few wagers over a Fernando or two in the locker room bar overlooking the 18th green,” said one member.
In New York, few drinks are more iconic—or more fiercely debated—than the Southside. A signature cocktail at National Golf Links of America (Southampton, NY), as well as several other prestigious nearby clubs, a member of NGLA confidently said, “National has the best one around.”
“The perfect way to end a round at National is with a Southside on the patio, watching the sunset over the water,” said another member.
The cocktail’s reach extends well beyond Southampton. At Bedford Golf & Tennis Club (Bedford, NY), a member described the Southside as “the taste of summer—finely chopped mint, sweet limeade, and dark rum are the perfect combination for the most refreshing cocktail. It’s also known to help with first-tee jitters if you order the floater on top.”
While Chechessee Creek Club (Okatie, SC) may not have the same storied legacy as The Country Club or National Golf Links of America, its signature Creek Tea has quickly carved out a reputation of its own.
“The hang and experience at Chechessee is incredible,” said one guest. “Set in the perfect Lowcountry backdrop, it’s made even better with a Creek Tea.”
Other distinguished clubs also boast signature cocktails: Old Town Club in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, is home to the Old Town Ted, while Prairie Dunes Country Club in Hutchinson, Kansas, has its famous Gunch Punch. And then there’s the transfusion—a cocktail commonly served at most clubs, though its exact origin is uncertain. Today, Oakmont Country Club’s frozen version remains one of the most iconic and refreshing drinks in all of golf.
