Hurricane Drink - A Beautiful Mess

If you love a sweet and strong cocktail, you’ll probably enjoy an at-home Hurricane Drink. This drink was created in New Orleans as a solution for using up a surplus of rum. It includes a double serving of rum as well as fruity flavor from lime juice, orange juice, passion fruit puree and grenadine.

More New Orleans Cocktails: Sazerac, Vieux Carré, French 75, Grasshopper, Pimm’s Cup.

Ingredients

Light Rum – Choose a quality light rum.
Dark Rum – Choose a quality dark rum.
Lime Juice – Fresh squeezed lime juice is a must for this recipe.
Orange Juice – Fresh squeezed is best, bottled works in a pinch.
Passion Fruit Pureé – Choose a passion fruit puree and if you can’t locate that you may also use passion fruit juice or passion fruit syrup in this recipe.
Grenadine – Make your own grenadine or choose a store-bought option.
Simple Syrup – This ingredient is optional (I find it to be more than sweet enough without it).
Garnish Ideas – Orange wheel or half-wheel orange slices, preserved cherry or maraschino cherry and a paper umbrella never hurts.

The best glassware option for a hurricane is obviously a hurricane glass. I use these glasses often for all sorts of tropical drinks.

Hurricane Drink History

The Hurricane was invented in the early 1940s by Pat O’Brien’s in New Orleans. It was created as a response to a surplus of rum, which was easier to acquire than other liquors at that time. This popular drink helped bartenders move plenty of rum and it remains one of the most popular New Orleans cocktails to this day.

How to Make

Begin by gathering your ingredients.

In a cocktail shaker with ice, combine light and dark rum, lime and orange juice, passion fruit puree, simple syrup and grenadine.

Shake for 10-15 seconds until the shaker is ice cold.

Pour into a hurricane glass with fresh ice.

Garnish and serve immediately.

Tips for Making

Quality Ingredients – This drink can be made with all store-bought ingredients or homemade syrups, juices and purees. The quality of ingredients you choose dictates the outcome of this famous drink. The more fresh ingredients, the better.
Too sweet? If this recipe is a bit too sweet for you, try omitting the simple syrup. You can also swap the passion fruit puree for passion fruit juice (or another fruit juice such as peach juice or pineapple juice) for a less sweet outcome.
Garnish Ideas – A slice of pineapple is always a welcome addition to a tropical drink. Dehydrated pineapple slices can be a classy garnish option and I also love these floral paper umbrellas.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are hurricane drinks strong?

Yes. A hurricane cocktail is a strong drink that contains a double serving of rum along with a lot of sweet and fruity flavors.

Why is it called a hurricane drink?

The name hurricane comes from the shape of a hurricane glass, which resembles a hurricane lamp.

What type of rum is in a hurricane drink?

A hurricane drink contains both light and dark rum.

More Cocktails to Try

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Learn to make the classic Hurricane drink using light and dark rum, lime and orange juice, passion fruit puree, simple syrup and grenadine.

Yield 1 cocktail

Prep 5 minutes

Instructions

Begin by gathering your ingredients. In a cocktail shaker with ice, combine light and dark rum, lime and orange juice, passion fruit puree, simple syrup and grenadine.
Shake for 10-15 seconds until the shaker is ice cold.
Pour into a hurricane glass with fresh ice.
Garnish and serve immediately.

Notes

Quality Ingredients – This drink can be made with all store-bought ingredients or homemade syrups, juices and purees. The quality of ingredients you choose dictates the outcome of this famous drink. The more fresh ingredients, the better.
Too sweet? If this recipe is a bit too sweet for you, try omitting the simple syrup. You can also swap the passion fruit puree for passion fruit juice (or another fruit juice such as peach juice or pineapple juice) for a less sweet outcome.
Garnish Ideas – A slice of pineapple is always a welcome addition to a tropical drink. Dehydrated pineapple slices can be a classy garnish option and I also love these floral paper umbrellas.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Hurricane Drink

Amount per Serving

% Daily Value*

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated, using Spoonacular, for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.

Hurricane Drink – A Beautiful Mess