The folks at Southern Comfort, the quintessential American spirit, are turning to the general public to help them put a face on the brand's creator: M.W. Heron. In fact they are not only asking for help, they are willing to pay a whopping $10,000 to the first person who produces a verified photograph of Heron, the New Orleans bartender who created Southern Comfort in 1874.

"We call him the mysterious Mr. Heron," explains Southern Comfort spokesperson Rick Bubenhofer. "We are interested in building a marketing and promotional campaign around the man and we are conducting research to fill in the gaps of his life."

M.W. Heron's creation has evolved into an American icon with over 26 million bottles of Southern Comfort being sold annually in 65 countries around the world.

In fact, the brand has already begun their efforts to personify Heron by adding his signature to the new Southern Comfort bottle, the first change to the familiar package in 65 years.

"We have a fairly good collection of Heron materials and we may have a photo of the man but we are seeking confirmation. Such a photo would make an important contribution to the advertising and promotional campaign we are putting together," Bubenhofer said.

Bubenhofer notes that Heron was born in Ireland and traveled to the United States as an infant as part of the great Potato Famine exodus.

"We know he traveled a great deal and earned his living as a bartender and a rectifier. He created his most famous drink in 1874, originally calling it "Cuffs and Buttons." He later changed the name to Southern Comfort and added the slogan, "Grand Old Drink of the South." Southern Comfort was patented in 1898.

Here's what the Southern Comfort folks do know about M.W. Heron:

He was born in Ireland in 1850.

His family moved to the United States when he was an infant.

He became a rectifier/bartender early in his life and traveled extensively practicing his trade.

He died in St. Louis in 1920 a few months after the enactment of prohibition took away his livelihood.

Anyone with a photo of M.W. Heron should contact Southern Comfort at 800/777-1636 X 7316.