Hurricane Cocktail

Hurricane Cocktail Story

The 1940s was Pat O’Brien’s decade of glory in New Orleans thanks to the invention of the Hurricane. The infamous concoction was named not after the category four hangover one might wake up with after drinking too many, but for the tulip-shaped kerosene lamps, dating back to the mid-1800s, that inspired the drink’s iconic and whimsical glassware. Though not directly connected to the tiki phenomenon, the Hurricane closely adhered to the convention of rum paired with exotic fruits and juices served tall with plenty of ice. Likely taking a cue from Don the Beachcomber, who had first taken advantage of surplus rum in the post-Prohibition age, Pat O’Brien too combined excess rum with fruit juice, creating a visually arresting drink to serve in his attractive hourglass-shaped vessels. The Hurricane signature blush red color is thanks to another item borrowed from the tiki playbook: fassionola. Broadly a codename for a tropical fruit syrup, fassionola varied in quality since many debated what it actually was and few would ever tell. O’Brien’s rouge-colored mix lent the drink a tart and invigorating edge ideal for surviving the New Orleans heat.