Hurricane
Dark rum, passion fruit and citrus in a tall curved glass. A New Orleans institution that is genuinely good when it is not made from a mix.
Built to the standard modern spec; not yet tested in our kitchen. How we test.
The recipe.
Scaling adjusts quantities only. Prepare shaken drinks in individual portions.
Let’s make a good drink.
Add both rums, the passion fruit syrup, lime juice, orange juice and grenadine to a shaker.
Fill with ice and shake hard for 12-15 seconds.
Pour unstrained into a hurricane glass, or strain over fresh crushed ice.
Garnish with an orange slice and a cherry.
A thoughtful finish
- Split the rum. Half dark and half white gives you the molasses depth and the clean strength without either dominating — a single rum makes a flatter drink.
- Real passion fruit syrup, not a red fruit punch syrup. Passion fruit is the drink's actual flavour and the thing premixes get most wrong.
- Plenty of lime. At a full ounce it stops the drink being a sweet tropical punch, which is the failure mode.
Common mistakes
- Using a bottled Hurricane mix, which is the reason the drink has a poor reputation outside New Orleans.
- Skipping the citrus and relying on the syrup for acidity, which leaves it cloying.
- Serving it without enough ice in a glass that size, so it warms and separates.
A few good questions.
Why is it called a Hurricane?
The glass is shaped like a hurricane lamp. The name is about the vessel, not the strength — though at three ounces of rum it earns it either way.
Can I make passion fruit syrup?
Yes. Passion fruit purée with an equal weight of sugar, warmed until it dissolves. It keeps a couple of weeks refrigerated and is far better than most bottled versions.
Is it supposed to be bright red?
No. A properly built Hurricane is deep amber-orange from the rum, juice and a small amount of grenadine. The fluorescent red version comes from premix.
What is the difference from a Zombie?
The Zombie is stronger, drier and built on three rums with falernum, absinthe and grapefruit. The Hurricane is sweeter, fruitier and simpler.
Variations
Where it comes from
c. 1940s · New Orleans, Louisiana · Pat O'Brien · Pat O'Brien's
Pat O’Brien’s in the French Quarter created it in the 1940s, and the usual account is commercial rather than romantic: wartime spirits allocation meant bars had to buy large quantities of rum in order to get any whiskey at all, so the house needed a drink that used a great deal of rum. The glass is shaped like a hurricane lamp, which is where the name comes from. The bar still serves it and still sells the glass. Most Hurricanes encountered elsewhere are made from a sweet red premix and bear little resemblance to a properly built one.
Sources
- Pat O'Brien's, New Orleans, house history, current (venue)
- Wayne Curtis, And a Bottle of Rum, 2006 (book)
- David Wondrich, Imbibe!, 2007 (book)
Strength. About 2 US standard drinks at an estimated 16.7% ABV, estimated from the ingredients and technique, not measured. What that means.
A little character in every sip.
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