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Compared to this column\u2019s previous subjects (ham<\/a>, bitters<\/a>, non-alcoholic beer<\/a><\/em>) you\u2019d figure the Hurricane\u2014a neon red, rum-heavy cocktail, served in a famous glass at the most famous bar in the country\u2019s most famous drinking city\u2014would especially lend itself to something titled \u201ca conversational guide.\u201d<\/p>\n On some level, it does. There\u2019s no dearth of scholarly articles<\/a> recounting the Hurricane\u2019s origins. No shortage of reddit threads<\/a> and tiki message boards<\/a> sharing ways to recreate the New Orleans classic at home. No lack of historical photographs<\/a> suggesting people enjoy this drinkable lava lamp.<\/p>\n The problem, however, is that much of the lore surrounding this Bourbon Street staple is kind of boring and, worse, just not true. To quote Jim Vorel, a senior drinks writer at Paste Magazine, \u201cFew cocktails have their histories wrongly detailed quite as often as the Hurricane.\u201d Great.<\/p>\n Now this crock of flavorless fiction presents this article with a few options. 1) Evaluate the veracity of the drink\u2019s tallest tales, spinning this into something titled \u201c5 Hurricane Myths Debunked.\u201d Snooze<\/em>. 2) Chart the history of a primary Hurricane ingredient\u2014like rum or fassionola\u2014to unveil the cocktail\u2019s general evolution. Jim already covered the latter perfectly<\/a>. Dang<\/em>. 3) State the drink\u2019s ingredients, accurately (and briefly) summarize its history, then share the most unserious photo collection of New Orleans tourists gleefully sipping Hurricanes into what I could only imagine were the wee hours of the night. Yes\u2014yes, of course<\/em>.<\/p>\n A Hurricane has three ingredients: Rum, citrus, and fassionola\u2014a passion fruit-based syrup reminiscent of Hawaiian Punch. Unfortunately, we don\u2019t have recipes on our site for the cocktail itself, or fassionola. However at famed New Orleans bar Pat O\u2019Brien\u2019s<\/a>, the world\u2019s leading Hurricane purveyor, the recipe is simply four ounces of rum and four ounces of \u201cPat O\u2019Brien\u2019s passion fruit mix\u201d stirred over ice. The mix is a combination of citrus and fassionola.<\/p>\n Pat O\u2019Brien\u2019s lore<\/a> says the drink\u2019s named after the glass it\u2019s served in\u2014which is colloquially known as a \u201churricane glass\u201d because of its similarity to the \u201churricane lamp<\/a>.\u201d However, per Jim\u2019s reporting, the name likely stems from the 1937 film The Hurricane<\/em>, a movie that inspired people, like Donn Beach<\/a>, to further develop \u201ctropical\u201d bars and cocktails throughout the country.<\/p>\n Probably not. Despite numerous articles<\/a> stating that Pat O\u2019s created the drink in the early 1940s, evidence<\/a> suggests that another bartender was slinging a cocktail named with rum, citrus, and fassionola named \u201cthe Hurricane\u201d a few years prior at the 1940 New York World\u2019s Fair.<\/p>\n As mentioned in the introduction: It\u2019s a landmark bar\u2019s signature cocktail. That goes a long way. Also, it\u2019s infamously strong\u2014or as this 2008 YouTube review<\/a> puts it, \u201cthe cocktail equivalent of rocket fuel\u201d\u2014and people seem to really like that.<\/p>\n Definitely. This recipe<\/a>\u2019s great. Plus, it doesn\u2019t ask you to obtain or make fassionola<\/a>, both of which can be a chore.<\/p>\n Thought you\u2019d never ask. Here\u2019s part one<\/a>. Next is part two<\/a>. Finally, part three<\/a>.<\/p>\nWhat\u2019s in a Hurricane?<\/h4>\n
Cool. But why\u2019s it called a Hurricane?<\/h4>\n
Wait, so did Pat O\u2019Brien\u2019s even invent the Hurricane?<\/h4>\n
Got it. So why\u2019s this thing famous?<\/h4>\n
Can I make a Hurricane at home?<\/h4>\n
What about that unserious photo collection?<\/h4>\n