Hurricane Cocktail (Classic New Orleans Drink!)

Try the Hurricane fruit drink, a cocktail born in New Orleans! Here are the ingredients for this special NOLA recipe.

It’s fruity, it’s extra alcoholic and it’s 100% fun: discover this hurricane cocktail recipe! This New Orleans special is a little pretentious: and that’s what it’s designed for. Loaded with two rums, it has a tropical undertone of passion fruit. A hint of grenadine gives it extra sweetness and a rose gold color. It’s a unique, festive and fun rum cocktail. This one is a bit stronger than most cocktails, so buckle up and get ready for a powerful drink!

Ingredients for the hurricane cocktail

The Hurricane drink is a classic 1940’s New Orleans cocktail made with light and dark rum, passion fruit syrup, orange juice, lime juice, and grenadine. The drink was invented by Pat O’Brien, owner of the famous Pat O’Brien’s Bar in New Orleans. Apparently, Pat created the drink to use up excess rum and served it in a glass shaped like a hurricane lamp. It was an instant hit and has remained a classic to this day.

The Hurricane is a relative of the classic Daiquiri, but the fruity blend is also reminiscent of the classic Singapore Sling from the 1920s. Here are the hurricane cocktail ingredients you need to make this NOLA special:

• Dark rum
• light rum
• orange juice
• lime juice
• passion fruit syrup
• grenadine

Let’s talk about some of the more unique ingredients, shall we?

What is passion fruit syrup?

The most unique ingredient for this hurricane cocktail recipe is passion fruit syrup. Some versions of the cocktail use passion fruit juice, but it’s very hard to find! It was easier for us to find passion fruit syrup for this drink. Here’s what you need to know:

• passion fruit syrup is a syrup made from passion fruit pulp and sugar. Although you can make your own at home, finding passion fruit syrup online is easy.
• How does it taste? It has a tropical, spicy and fruity taste. There really is nothing like it!
• What can I substitute for passion fruit syrup? Passion fruit has such a unique flavor that there really is no substitute. If you want to make a hurricane cocktail, you have to do it right! Passion fruit is needed for that signature flavor. trust us!
• Where can you buy passion fruit syrup? We bought this Monin passion fruit syrup online. You can also check your local liquor store.
• What other drinks use passion fruit syrup? Try the zombie.

Two types of rum are required

You’ll need two types of rum to make the Hurricane drink! Remember: This cocktail contains more alcohol than most of our other 200 cocktails. It’s based on the classic daiquiri, but contains more than twice the rum (4 ounces in the Hurricane versus 1½ ounces in the daiquiri). So be careful when swallowing! Here’s why you need every type of rum:

• Dark rum ages longer than white rum. It is dark in color and has a rich, developed flavor with hints of caramel, brown sugar and vanilla.
• Pale rum or white rum is clear and has a smoother, sweeter flavor and is used in simple tropical drinks like mojito, daiquiri, and pina colada.

Does the hurricane drink have to be bright red?

The hurricane cocktail also calls for grenadine, a pure red syrup that gives drinks a beautiful bright red color. You’ll notice that some versions of the Hurricane are pinkish-orange (as you see here), while others are bright red. What color should the drink be?

• grenadine is often confused with cherry syrup but is actually made from pomegranate juice. It has a fruity, sweet flavor and imparts a bright red color to any drink it touches. Traditionally, grenadine has been made with artificial colors and flavors, but there are all-natural versions on the market these days.
• The type and amount of grenadine affects the color of the drink. You can make grenadine syrup at home, which we prefer because it’s more natural. But here’s the thing: The synthetic version of grenadine results in a more vibrant red color. Some hurricane cocktail recipes use even more grenadine to achieve a super bright red color. The original drink was most likely that orange hue, in no small part because of the passion fruit syrup.

Here’s how to make this hurricane cocktail recipe: shake and strain!

Once you have your passion fruit syrup, your two types of rum and grenadine in your hands, making the hurricane cocktail is a breeze! It’s a traditional “shaken” cocktail, where you shake the ingredients in a shaker, then strain:

• Shake: Put the ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Fill it with a few handfuls of ice and shake it until very cold. Don’t have a cocktail shaker? Use a mason jar with a lid instead.
• stump: Strain the drink into a storm glass, if available: or any cocktail glass will do. Don’t have a cocktail strainer? Use a fine mesh strainer instead.
• Garnish: Add a cocktail cherry and a slice of orange for a classy look.

When to serve a hurricane drink

The Hurricane Cocktail is a great New Orleans drink to impress with! It’s perfect for sipping as:

• signature drink
• Happy hour drink
• Drink at dinner
• Late night drinks
• Evening drink between boys or between girls
• Aperitif at aperitif time

More rum cocktails

Do you use rum? We have cocktails! Here are some other rum cocktails to try: