Learn how to craft a Hurricane cocktail that rivals the version served at Pat O’Brien’s in New Orleans. It’s a cocktail classic that’s tasty and fun.
Born in a city known for its sophisticated cocktail culture, the Hurricane stands out from the pack.
For starters, it’s popular with hoards of tourists who join the nightly party at Pat O’Brien’s, the bar where the Hurricane was invented.
Then there’s the Hurricane’s potency. With ingredients like dark rum, light rum and three different juices, the fruity, boozy Hurricane is dangerously easy to drink.
Some might say too easy.
And, finally, the Hurricane is a cocktail that literally has its own glass. Big enough to hold at least 20 ounces and cylindrical in shape, the Hurricane’s glass is as famous as the cocktail itself.
What Is a Hurricane Cocktail?
The popular version of the Hurricane is big, boozy and fruity-tooty.
Tourists sip the cocktail in colorful plastic cups as they stumble around the French Quarter. Frat boys down Hurricanes by the dozen at Pat O’Brien’s during Mardi Gras, New Year’s Eve, Jazz Fest or just about any time of the year.
It would be easy to discount that version of the Hurricane made with a sugar-filled mix and cheap rum. But that’s not the original Hurricane nor the one that we adore.
While we don’t follow the original Hurricane recipe when we craft Hurricanes at home, we channel the cocktail’s original spirit by using two rums and as many natural ingredients as possible. The resulting potent potable is refreshingly sweet, surprisingly complex and a pleasure to imbibe.
History of the Hurricane Cocktail
Pat O’Brien (the man) originally crafted the Hurricane in New Orleans during the 1940s. Almost a century later, the red rum drink is just as popular today at Pat O’Brien’s (the bar) as when sailors originally slurped the drink in glasses shaped like hurricane lamps.
Records reveal that O’Brien’s original Hurricane cocktail had just three ingredients – gold rum, lemon juice and Fassionola syrup. The entrepreneurial New Orleans barman apparently starting making the iconic drink in an effort to use up excess bottles of rum. Whether serving them in hurricane lamp-shaped glasses was a stroke of marketing genius or dumb luck remains a mystery.
The modern rendition of the Hurricane sold at Pat O’Brien’s isn’t what it used to be. Frassinola syrup made with a melange of fruit isn’t exactly easy to find these days. The bar crafts Hurricanes en mass using a proprietary mix that’s for sale at the bar as well as online.
We say go to the bar but don’t buy the mix. And don’t stay too long. The experience involves lounging in an outdoor courtyard with a view of a multi-colored flaming fountain so it’s not all bad. Plus, drinking a mass produced Pat O’Brien’s Hurricane will motivate you to craft a more classic Hurricane cocktail at home which isn’t bad at all.
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Ingredients
Our Hurricane recipe includes two liquors and they’e both rums. Here’s the full list:
Ingredient quantities are detailed in the printable recipe card below.
Since we have easy access to fresh passion fruit, we chose to make fresh passion fruit juice with a hand blender. This extra step took us about five minutes and involved removing the pulp (seeds and all) from the skin, adding water, blending, straining and adding a bit of simple syrup.
The result was tasty and surprisingly earthy. Using fresh juice made a noticeable difference. However, purée and syrup are are both valid options if you don’t have access to fresh passion fruit or if you’re not inspired to make passion fruit juice at home.
How to Craft a Hurricane Cocktail
The first step in this recipe is to measure the the two rums, three juices, grenadine and simple syrup. We use a Japanese jigger for these and other measurements to ensure accurate measurements and avoid spillage.
Buy a Japanese jigger from Amazon if you need a jigger or want an inexpensive upgrade.
Pour the liquids directly into your cocktail shaker as you measure each. We use a Boston Shaker for this and other recipes since it doesn’t leak and is easy to clean.
Add ice and shake for 20 seconds.
This step both combines and chills the ingredients.
Strain the cocktail into a Hurricane glass.
Add an orange slice and a maraschino cherry as garnish.
While you could hypothetically use a highball glass instead of a Hurricane glass, the cocktail just won’t be the same. When it comes to this colorful New Orleans cocktail, the drink and the glass are a package deal.
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Variations
We empathize if you can’t find easily find passion fruit juice or if you simply want to experiment with your bottles of rum. Here are some ideas to get you started:
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Frequently Asked Questions
The Hurricane was invented in New Orleans.
Pat O’Brien’s is the bar most associated with the Hurricane. This bar is located in the French Quarter in New Orleans.
Dark Rum, Light Rum, Passion Fruit Juice, Orange Juice, Lime Juice, Grenadine, Simple Syrup, Orange Slice (garnish), Maraschino Cherry (garnish) and Ice Cubes
The Hurricane is shaken, not stirred.
We like to serve this cocktail in a hurricane glass and you should do the same.
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Combine white rum, dark rum, passion fruit juice, orange juice, lime juice, grenadine and simple syrup a shaker.
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Add ice and shake vigorously for approximately 20 seconds until the drink is properly chilled and blended.
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Strain into a hurricane glass filled with ice.
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Add a maraschino cherry and orange twist as garnish.
- You can use a highball glass if you don’t have a hurricane glass.
- We squeezed our juices from fresh fruit but you can use juice from the grocery store.
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