A Hurricane is a party in a glass, a cocktail that is as much of a whirlwind as its namesake. The iconic New Orleans drink is an upbeat rum punch, a mixture of passion fruit, orange juice, and lime, with simple syrup, grenadine, and a heavy dose of both light and dark rum. Served over ice in a curved glass called a Hurricane-style glass, the Hurricane has been a famous French Quarter cocktail since the 1940’s. It’s woven into New Orleans culture, a symbol of freedom and fun in the Southern city. Just like classic Sazerac cocktails, trays of sugar-drenched beignets, and a legendary haunted restaurants, Hurricanes are a fixture on Bourbon Street — particularly during Mardi Gras celebrations.
A Hurricane cocktail comes in a few different forms in New Orleans, depending on the bartender making the drinks. There are multiple variations on the cocktail. Some bartenders add pineapple juice, lime juice, coconut rum, and blue curaçao, while others strip the drink down to its original recipe of just rum, passion fruit syrup, and lemon juice. The endless riffs on the cocktail are as symbolic of NOLA’s creative culture as lively second lines, fruit-flavored snowballs, and the jazz scene . Mardi Gras just wouldn’t be Mardi Gras without any of them.
Hurricane cocktails have ties to the French Quarter in the 1940’s
The Hurricane cocktail isn’t popular in New Orleans just because it’s delicious, though the tangy and sweet combo of tropical fruit juices with a burst of citrus and a kick of rum certainly helps. The story goes that the Hurricane was invented on Bourbon Street, at Pat O’Brien’s bar, in the 1940’s. There was a version sold at the 1939 World’s Fair in Queens, New York, thought to have been served in a Hurricane-style glass and been made with rum. The drink didn’t rise in popularity out of New York, though. It was the version born at Pat O’Brien’s that stole the heart of Bourbon Street — and the world — as visitors flocked to enjoy this sweet, boozy cocktail.
Bartenders at Pat O’Brien’s in the 1940’s found themselves facing a shortage of whiskey and scotch and a surplus of rum. In a city known for overcoming challenges with creativity, flair, and a can-do attitude, these bartenders used the most common ingredients they had on hand to keep the drinks flowing during hard times. They combined plenty of rum, lemon juice, and passion fruit syrup and served it in large quantities, encouraging the gathering of community, laugher, and indulgence — some of the foundational values of Mardi Gras.
