HURRICANE

Pat O'Brien's, New Orleans, ~1940s.

HIGHBALL
ETHANOL 19 G131 KCAL FROM ETHANOL6.8 OZ SERVED

SPEC

1 oz · 30 mlWHITE RUM40 %
1 oz · 30 mlDARK RUM40 %
1 oz · 30 mlPASSION FRUIT SYRUP
1 oz · 30 mlORANGE JUICE
1 oz · 30 mlLEMON JUICE
½ oz · 15 mlSIMPLE SYRUP
1 barspoonGRENADINE

1 oz taken as 30 ml in the metric column.

METHOD

  1. 01SHAKE ALL INGREDIENTS HARD WITH ICE
  2. 02POUR UNSTRAINED INTO A HURRICANE GLASS
  3. 03GARNISH WITH AN ORANGE WHEEL + CHERRY

1 oz taken as 30 ml in the metric column.

STRENGTH // WORKED

Pre-batch5.67 oz mixed with ice, 0.8 oz of it pure alcohol
MeltShaken: +20 % of the pre-batch, +1.13 oz of water
Served5.67 + 1.13 = 6.8 oz in the glass
Strength0.8 ÷ 6.8 = 11.8 % ABV as served
Ethanol0.8 oz × 29.57 ml × 0.789 g/ml = 19 g · about 131 kcal from the alcohol alone

IN THE GLASS

VANILLIN

FROM DARK RUM · from oak barrel aging

Formula
C₈H₈O₃
Mass
152.15 g/mol
IUPAC
4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzaldehyde

Bourbon's fingerprint, extracted from the charred American oak the law requires for aging. Same molecule as the vanilla bean's signature, so a well-aged bourbon legitimately tastes like vanilla. Chemistry, not metaphor. Cognac, aged rum, tequila reposado all extract vanillin from oak too. Different barrels, same molecule.

METHYL ANTHRANILATE

FROM PASSION FRUIT · the grape candy note

Formula
C₈H₉NO₂
Mass
151.16 g/mol
IUPAC
methyl 2-aminobenzoate

The grape-candy / Welch's-grape-juice aroma. Concord grapes carry it in concentrations no European wine grape (Vitis vinifera) approaches; American Vitis labrusca grapes, native to the northeastern US, hold methyl anthranilate as a signature. The "foxy" note in North American grape juice and artificial grape candy both come from the same molecule. Also used as the standard bird repellent on commercial fruit crops; birds find it intolerable.

CITRAL

FROM LIME + LEMON · the lemon aroma

Formula
C₁₀H₁₆O
Mass
152.24 g/mol
IUPAC
(2E)-3,7-dimethylocta-2,6-dienal

Lemon's defining note: technically a mix of two geometric isomers (geranial and neral) that read as the same aroma to the nose. Lemon peel, lemongrass, lemon verbena, and Indian chai all carry it. In cocktails it's what a lemon twist contributes that lemon juice can't: the volatile expressed from the oil glands, not the acid from the pulp.

CHEMISTRY

Light and dark rum, passion fruit, orange, lemon and grenadine. Tropical thiols from passion fruit (3-mercaptohexyl acetate) are the load-bearing aromatics, and they are what distinguish the Hurricane from the generic rum punch family. Citral comes from the two citrus juices and vanillin from the dark rum's oak.

PROVENANCE

Born of necessity: during WWII, scotch and other European spirits were scarce in New Orleans, but Caribbean rum was easy to obtain. liquor distributors reportedly required Pat O'Brien to buy fifty cases of rum for every case of scotch, and he then needed a recipe to move all the rum. The Hurricane (named for its hurricane-lamp-shaped glass) was the answer. Pat O's in the French Quarter still serves it in that glass.

RUM // NEARBY