Here in the Sunshine State, dealing with hurricanes is second nature to us. And perhaps if I were closer to the coast I wouldn’t have such a casual attitude regarding our little annual weather events. Don’t get me wrong, I still make preparations. Filling up on gas, secure everything we normally keep outside, charging up all our devices and battery backups, and a few sandbags to keep the rain out of my utility room. And yet, it seems like it wasn’t that long ago that my friends and I would hunker down together for a good ole hurricane party. What is a hurricane party you ask? It’s stupid, that’s what it is. It’s dangerous and irresponsible and not something I want to encourage. But much like helping an alligator snapping turtle (which can relieve you of your digits) cross the highway, I guess a hurricane party is a rite of passage for any true Floridian.
Nowadays a hurricane in the forecast brings out this odd compulsive need to clean the entire house before the storm. I think it must be the anticipation of that icky, sticky feeling of life without power (ahem AC) for a couple of days every summer. Now that I’m in my 40’s everything gets a thorough scrubbing before the storm. So, I may not be partying but I can still enjoy this season’s drink of choice while I wash my house like a crazy person. So, for this week’s recipe, I give you; The One, The Only, The Hurricane!
This was my drink for a long time in my early 20’s. The ultimate sweet and fruity to knock you on your booty! I knew this drink originated in New Orleans but I never knew its true origins till now; When World War II hit, there was a shortage of (gasp) whiskey! Say it isn’t so! Rum, however, came right up the Mississippi River from the Caribbean (Que an exasperated sigh of relief). The innovative bartenders at Pat O’Brien’s Irish Pub in New Orleans were quick to come up with this rum-punch cocktail. They served it in a glass shaped like a hurricane lamp. Thus, the very fitting name is The Hurricane. Fitting because a few of these will knock you off your feet! On that note, this delightfully tropical-flavored drink is strong. With 2 ounces dark rum and 2 ounces light rum, the alcohol content of this drink is no joke. Literally, the alcohol is double that of most classic drinks. No wonder it’s a favorite of 20-somethings everywhere.
Hurricane’s ingredients are dark rum, white rum, passion fruit juice, orange juice, lime juice, and grenadine. They are shaken together, then poured into the tall signature hurricane glass and garnished with a maraschino cherry and an orange slice. Hurricane Cocktails are so fun, y’all. Sweet, colorful, fresh, and intoxicating. And a MUST for my fellow rum lovers out there.
And while I’ve seen Hurricane recipes that call for a full tablespoon of Grenadine as well as simple syrup, that makes this boozy drink way too sweet in my opinion. Talk about a hang-over city! My head is throbbing just thinking about it! We already have fresh passion fruit juice in there, so the additional sweetness isn’t really necessary, so we’re just using a bar-spoon’s worth of Grenadine to give it that signature deep sunset pink and you can always add more if you like.
Most bars and restaurants won’t have passion fruit juice on hand so pineapple juice is the common substitution to give the cocktail the same sweetness and acidity. Mango juice would work nicely too. I can usually find passion fruit juice in the Spanish food isle of any grocery store.
To get the moist juice out of your citrus fruit, pop them in the microwave for about 10 seconds. Then, roll them on the counter to burst the pulp on the inside. Cut in half and squeeze using a juicer. I promise, fresh juice is ALWAYS worth the extra effort!
Miss. Mixer’s pro-tip: for an extra flavorful version used spiced rum. I LOVE spiced rum. Sailor Jerry is my favorite.
Ingredients:
- 2 oz Dark Rum
- 2 oz White Rum
- 1 oz Lime Juice
- 1 oz Orange Juice
- 0.5 oz Passion fruit juice or pineapple juice
- 1 “bars-poon” Grenadine
Combine all ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice, and shake this baby hard for 10 seconds. Add fresh crushed ice to your Hurricane glass, strain the cocktail into your cocktail glass with ice, and top with more ice accordingly. Garnish with an orange slice and cocktail cherry.
Enjoy and stay safe!