When it comes to top-shelf spirits, there are plenty of purists out there who think the only way they should be consumed is straight up.

But not everyone has that kind of fortitude.

LOUIE FAVORITE/AJC Staff (ENLARGE)

The object is quality, not quantity, for such artisan-distillers as Phil Prichard, whose rum is sold in 30 states. He has recently branched out into production of an unconventional twice-barreled bourbon.

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Southerners have a long tradition of mixing creative cocktails as well as using their favorite spirits to give a distinctive twist to everything from soup to dessert.

We turned to some of the region's most innovative chefs and bartenders for recipes that take advantage of Southern-made spirits in both foods and drinks.

Sazerac Tassies

24 tassies
Hands on: 20 minutes
Total time: 1 hour, 45 minutes

These addictive bite-size pies were gobbled down at the Southern Foodways Alliance's Pot Likker Film Fest held at Sweetwater Brewery last month. Sonya Jones, the chef-owner of tiny Sweet Auburn Bread Market and a member of our Saving Southern Food chefs panel, created them as a takeoff on the famed Sazerac cocktail, an old New Orleans concoction made with rye whiskey and absinthe. Over the years, anise liqueur became the common substitute for the absinthe.

For the tart shells:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter
For the filling:
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup anise liqueur, such as Pernod
1 tablespoon rye whiskey
2 teaspoons honey
3 tablespoons anise seeds, divided
Optional garnishes: Dust with confectioners' sugar or top with a candied lemon peel.

To make the shells: In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, confectioners' sugar and baking powder. Using a pastry blender, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal. (Alternately, combine the dry ingredients in the bowl of a food processor, cut the butter into large pieces and drop on top of the flour, then pulse the mixture until it resembles coarse meal, 20 to 30 seconds.) Press the dough into a ball. (If it won't hold its shape, stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons water.) Press the dough into a disc, cover with plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray 24 miniature muffin cups with cooking spray. Divide the chilled dough into 24 pieces and press in the bottom and up the sides of the miniature muffin cups.

To make the filling: In a medium mixing bowl, combine the granulated sugar, flour and baking powder. Add the eggs, liqueur, whiskey and honey, and stir well to combine.

Divide 2 tablespoons of the anise seeds among the pastry shells. Spoon 2 to 3 teaspoons of filling into each shell (filling to the top of the pastry). Sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon anise seeds on top of each tassie. Bake 12 to 15 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool before removing from pans. Garnish as desired.

Per tassie: 130 calories (percent of calories from fat, 45), 1 gram protein, 16 grams carbohydrates, trace fiber, 6 grams fat (trace saturated), 31 milligrams cholesterol, 4 milligrams sodium.

Chocolate Mint Julep

1 serving
Hands on: 3 minutes Total time: 3 minutes

"When people tell me they do not like bourbon, I try and get them to taste one of my drinks," says Joy Perrine, a fifth-generation bartender who has been mixing award-winning cocktails in Louisville, Ky., for decades. "Bourbon has the most amazing characteristics, such as caramel, brown sugar, vanilla, molasses and pineapple, to name a few. If you add complementary flavors such as brown sugar, coconut, vanilla, pineapple or chocolate, you will have a wonderful combination that will appeal to more people."

1 shot Woodford Reserve or other bourbon
1 shot crème de menthe
1 shot Godiva liqueur (look for the original, not "chocolate cream" version)
Mint sprig

Strain bourbon, crème de menthe and Godiva liqueur over ice and pour into a martini or cocktail glass. Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint.

Per serving: 296 calories (percent of calories from fat, 1), no protein, 28 grams carbohydrates, no fiber, trace fat (no saturated), no cholesterol, 2 milligrams sodium.

Persimmon-Rum Soup or Sorbet

8 (1/2-cup) servings
Hands on: 30 minutes Total time: 7 hours

"People expect so little from Tennessee in terms of indigenous artisanal product," says John Fleer, the acclaimed chef at the luxurious Inn at Blackberry Farm in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. He is a huge fan of Prichards' Fine Rum, handcrafted in tiny Kelso — so much so that he prefers it straight from a short glass. But he also has come up with some clever ways to use it in recipes — such as this unusual but flavorful soup. If you can't find persimmons or persimmon pulp, he suggests using applesauce instead. Tester Deborah Geering especially liked it when it was frozen in a sorbet, as Fleer suggested for an alternative. "Here's a little tip we learned the hard way: Don't look over the pot of simmering rum when you ignite it," Geering notes. "You're likely to singe something."

1 1/4 cups rum
8-10 persimmons (enough to make 2 1/2 cups pulp)
1/2 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
8 white peppercorns
2 star anise
2 tablespoons sorghum
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1 1/4 cups apple juice
3/4 cup corn syrup (sorbet only)

In a sauté pan, bring rum to a simmer and ignite (see note above). Remove from heat and let alcohol burn off.

In the meantime, prepare the persimmons: Cut around the stem with a sharp knife and extract the core. Cut each persimmon in half and, using a serrated grapefruit spoon or a regular spoon, scoop out the pulp (you can go right to the edge of the skin) and place in a blender or food processor, removing any seeds as you go. Process until the pulp is well-pureed, then press through a strainer into a measuring cup. Stop when you get to about 2 1/2 cups.

Transfer the strained pulp to a saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until slightly lightened in color, about 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer all but about 3/4 cup pulp to a bowl; stir in the orange juice and lemon juice. Cover and store in the refrigerator.

To remaining 3/4 cup puree, add 1/2 cup water, the sugar, cinnamon sticks, peppercorns, star anise, sorghum, salt and apple juice. Bring to a simmer. Add the rum. Remove from the heat and let steep in a warm place for at least 6 hours.

After the rum mixture has steeped, strain it, discarding the solids. Stir the liquid into the chilled persimmon pulp. Serve chilled as a soup, or stir in 3/4 cup corn syrup, chill and process in an ice cream maker to serve as a sorbet.

Optional garnish: small diced Granny Smith apples poached in muscat wine and 1 star anise.

Per serving: 259 calories (percent of calories from fat, 1), 1 gram protein, 47 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, trace fat (trace saturated), no cholesterol, 98 milligrams sodium.

Rum-Marinated Pork Tenderloin With Mustard-Quince Glaze

6 servings
Hands on: 25 minutes Total time: 3 hours

Blackberry Farm chef John Fleer shared an involved recipe for Quince-Glazed Roasted Quail With Wild Mushroom Gnocchi, Grilled Artichokes and Tennessee Rum Sauce. Tester Deborah Geering instead used his marinade and glaze and applied it to a simpler pork tenderloin dish she came up with. Although quince paste (also called membrillo) is often carried seasonally at finer grocery stores, you can use guava paste instead. It can be found in the Latin food section of many stores, including Publix.

2 pork tenderloins, about 1 pound each
Rum Marinade (see recipe below)
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 shallots, finely chopped
2 tablespoons pine nuts
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup golden raisins
Coarse salt
Mustard-Quince Glaze (see recipe below)

Butterfly each tenderloin to create a piece of meat that is about 3/4 inch thick. Place in a nonreactive dish with the marinade for at least 2 hours in the refrigerator, turning occasionally.

Meanwhile, prepare the filling. In a skillet over medium heat, heat the olive oil. Add the shallots and pine nuts and sauté until the shallots are translucent and the pine nuts are lightly browned. Add the apples and raisins and continue to cook, stirring, until the apples begin to soften. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove a tenderloin from the marinade and pat dry with a paper towel. Sprinkle with salt. Spread half the filling down the middle of the tenderloin, then fold the meat over the filling to create a roll. Tie with kitchen string and place in a baking dish or roasting pan. Repeat with the remaining tenderloin and filling. Brush the tops and sides of each tenderloin with Mustard-Quince Glaze and cook until a thermometer placed in the meat registers 165 degrees, brushing occasionally with the glaze, about 25 to 30 minutes. Allow tenderloins to rest about 10 minutes before slicing into rounds and serving.

Per serving, entire recipe: 401 calories (percent of calories from fat, 43), 33 grams protein, 18 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 17 grams fat (3 grams saturated), 98 milligrams cholesterol, 90 milligrams sodium.

Rum Marinade

1 1/2 cups
Hands on: 5 minutes Total time: 5 minutes
1/2 cup rum
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1 sprig fresh thyme, chopped
1 shallot, minced
Freshly cracked black pepper

Combine rum, cider vinegar, olive oil, thyme, shallot and black pepper in a nonreactive dish.

Marinade only, per tablespoon serving: 50 calories (percent of calories from fat, 72), trace protein, trace carbohydrates, no fiber, 4 grams fat (less than 1 gram saturated), no cholesterol, trace sodium.

Mustard-Quince Glaze

1 1/2 cups
Hands on: 2 minutes Total time: 2 minutes

3/4 cup apple cider
1/4 cup rum
4 ounces quince paste (or guava paste)
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

In a small saucepan, heat the apple cider, rum and quince paste over low heat, stirring occasionally, until smooth. Whisk in mustard.

Glaze only, per serving: 43 calories (percent of calories from fat, 3), trace protein, 5 grams carbohydrates, trace fiber, trace fat (trace saturated), no cholesterol, 12 milligrams sodium.

Bardstown Spritzer

1 serving
Hands on: 2 minutes
Total time: 10 minutes, plus 2 hours sitting

Chef-owner Joe Truex of Repast restaurant is proud of his selection of artisan and small-batch whiskeys behind the bar. He is particularly a fan of Michter's hand-crafted rye whiskey, which he likes to use in cocktails such as this refreshing combination.

For the rosemary syrup:
1 cup water
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 sprigs rosemary
1 sprig lavender, optional
1 slice orange
1 slice lemon

For the drink:
1 1/2 ounces Michter's single-barrel rye whiskey or other rye whiskey
1/2 ounce Limoncello
1/2 ounce rosemary syrup
Juice from 1/2 lemon
3 ounces soda water

To prepare the syrup: In a saucepan, combine water, sugar, rosemary and lavender sprigs and orange and lemon slices and bring to a boil. Let the mixture sit for 2 hours; strain.

To prepare the drink: In a Collins glass over ice, combine rye, Limoncello, syrup and lemon juice and stir. Add soda water and stir gently. Optional garnish: sprig of rosemary.

Per serving: 188 calories (percent of calories from fat, 0), trace protein, 15 grams carbohydrates, no fiber, no fat, no cholesterol, 5 milligrams sodium.