The hurricane is an iconic tropical cocktail that you should know and will never forget. It is a fun rum-filled drink that includes the captivating pairing of passion fruit and orange juices. While it looks and tastes rather complex, it is actually quite easy to make.
This cocktail became popular at Pat O’Briens bar in 1940s New Orleans. It’s said that O’Brien created the heavily rummed drink as a means to get rid of the large stock of rum his Southern distributors forced him to buy.
The story says that it debuted during the 1939 World’s Fair in New York City and was named after the hurricane lamp-shaped glasses that the first drinks were served in. This style continues to be known as a hurricane glass.
You can still get a great hurricane at Pat O’Briens in NOLA or any of their other locations in the U.S. You can also make it at home with this authentic recipe. Beyond the atmosphere, it is the same great cocktail.
The Spruce
- Total: 5 mins
- Prep: 5 mins
- Cook: 0 mins
- Yield: 1 cocktail (1 serving)
| Nutritional Guidelines (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 424 | Calories |
| 0g | Fat |
| 41g | Carbs |
| 1g | Protein |
See Full Nutritional Guidelines
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)
The hurricane is an iconic tropical cocktail that you should know and will never forget. It is a fun rum-filled drink that includes the captivating pairing of passion fruit and orange juices. While it looks and tastes rather complex, it is actually quite easy to make.
This cocktail became popular at Pat O’Briens bar in 1940s New Orleans. It’s said that O’Brien created the heavily rummed drink as a means to get rid of the large stock of rum his Southern distributors forced him to buy.
The story says that it debuted during the 1939 World’s Fair in New York City and was named after the hurricane lamp-shaped glasses that the first drinks were served in. This style continues to be known as a hurricane glass.
You can still get a great hurricane at Pat O’Briens in NOLA or any of their other locations in the U.S. You can also make it at home with this authentic recipe. Beyond the atmosphere, it is the same great cocktail.
Ingredients
- 2 ounces light rum
- 2 ounces dark rum
- 2 ounces passion fruit juice
- 1 ounce orange juice
- 1/2 lime
- 1 tablespoon simple syrup
- 1 tablespoon grenadine
- Garnish: maraschino cherry
- Garnish: orange slice
Steps to Make It
Gather the ingredients.
In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, squeeze the juice from half a lime.
Pour the remaining ingredients into the shaker.
- Shake well, until the outside of the shaker tin becomes frosty.
- Strain into a hurricane glass.
Garnish with a cherry and an orange slice.
Serve and enjoy!
Tip
If you have a hard time finding passion fruit juice, consider juicing your own passion fruit when they’re in season or using a passion fruit frozen concentrate.
Passion Fruit Juice
The one issue you may have with this drink is finding passion fruit juice. It is not one of the most popular juices on the market, though there are a few options.
For the best tasting hurricane, juice a few ripe passion fruits. They are not always in season, though, so take advantage of that opportunity when it comes.
To juice a passion fruit, cut it in half and scoop the pulp, seeds, and juice into a blender. For 5 to 6 fruits, add about 1/3 cup sugar (adjust to taste as some passion fruit varieties are tarter) and 1 quart cold water. Blend on low speeds until the juicy seeds break up and you have a liquid puree. Strain the pulp and broken seeds out using a fine mesh strainer or sieve, pressing as much juice as you can. Bottle the juice and discard the pulp.
You may have to search a little harder for commercial brands of passion fruit juice; Maguary and Goya are two popular options. Natural foods and international food stores—or those sections of your local grocer—are good places to look as well. Sometimes you can find a frozen concentrate.
Another option is passion fruit nectar. It’s slightly sweeter but not as sweet as passion fruit puree and you can easily add some water to get either of those juicier.
A tropical juice mix would be another viable option, particularly if it concentrates on passion fruit. It is typically mixed with pineapple and orange. While it wouldn’t be the original hurricane recipe, it does make a very tasty drink as well.
How Strong Is the Hurricane?
Dark rum can vary in strength and the range falls between 80 and 151 proof. For the sake of this example, let’s assume that an 80 proof is used for both the light and dark rums.
With that assumption, the average hurricane has an alcohol content of about 18 percent ABV (36 proof). It is not the strongest drink and it is not the lightest. To put this in perspective, the Manhattan is 60 proof and the mojito is about 26 proof.