How to Make a Hurricane

above: Hurricane preparedness kit

I've pretty much come to the conclusion that there are two types of Floridians. The first has stockpiled enough bottled water, canned chili con carne, sterno, matches stored in waterproof bags, and flashlight batteries to survive a nuclear holocaust followed by an invasion of cranky aliens. They possess a canoe, a loaded gun with plenty of ammunition, a generator, a backup generator, and a windmill.

Then there's the rest of us. The first thing we check when we get news of an approaching hurricane is our supply of booze and mixers. We fix ourselves up a little rum and oj and then we try to remember where we put that piece of plywood.

Like Blanche DuBois, we rely on the kindness of strangers when things get really bad; until then, we're prepared to throw a party. In readiness for Hurricane Fay I've been scurrying around collecting and testing Hurricane recipes and I think I've hit on one that totally rules and that's plenty strong enough to make a couple of weeks without electricity in 100 percent humidity feel like a luxury vacation.

hit the jump to make it

The Hurricane was invented at Pat O'Brian's bar in New Orleans. They make the drink with their secret recipe bottled mix now, but the original went something like this (recipe courtesy of whatscookingamerica.net):

1 ounce fresh-squeezed lemon juice
4 ounces dark rum
4 ounces passion fruit syrup
Crushed ice
Orange and/or lime slice
1 Maraschino Cherry

In a cocktail shaker, add lemon juice, rum, passion fruit syrup, and crushed ice; shake vigorously for 1 to 2 minutes and then strain into a tall glass or hurricane glass.

Voila:

bartender with hurricane at Pat O'Brians

Note the hurricane-lamp-shaped glass. I don't have a hurricane-lamp-shaped-glass and I also don't have any passion fruit syrup. So I looked around at other recipes.

Some of these, like the "Hurricane #2 made with vodka, gin, light rum, dark rum, Amaretto, triple sec, and grapefruit juice reminded me a little too forcefully of pubescent forays into my parents' liquor cabinet and their inevitable messy aftermath.

So I came up with a recipe based on ingredients I had at hand:

1 oz dark rum
1 oz light rum
1 oz Pama liqueur
juice of 1/2 lime
pineapple juice
splash of grenadine for color

I pureed some cut-up fresh pineapple chunks in the blender since I happened to have some in the fridge, but regular pineapple juice would work just as well. Put all ingredients in a shaker filled with ice, shake that baby up, pour into a glass either strained or with cubes depending on your preference. Garnish with slice of lime.

Oh, yeah.

--Gail Shepherd