Hurricane (original recipe)
Shake; Churn ∙ 4 min ∙ 16.7% ABV ∙
The original-recipe Hurricane is a rum sour built from Jamaican aged rum, passion fruit syrup, and fresh lemon juice, shaken and served over crushed ice. Crushed ice keeps every sip cold and slushy, the tart-sweet fruit mellows the rum's funky depth, finishing long, bright, and faintly tropical.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Shake all ingredients with ice: Jamaican aged rum 120 mlPassion fruit syrup 60 mlLemon juice 60 ml
- Strain into the glass filled 2/3 full with crushed ice
- Churn and add more crushed ice so the cocktail fills the glass
- Garnish with a fruit skewer
- Serve with a straw
Tips
- Shake hard with plenty of ice — the syrup and lemon need real aeration to keep the drink from tasting flat once poured over crushed ice.
- Use a true Jamaican aged rum rather than a light mixing rum; its funk is what carries through the passion fruit and citrus.
- Churn the crushed ice after straining rather than just topping it off — this chills the drink evenly and keeps it from separating in the glass.
History
This version reconstructs the drink as first mixed at Pat O'Brien's bar in New Orleans in the 1940s, before the recipe grew into the multi-juice, multi-rum drink now generic to tiki-style bars. Wartime shortages left domestic whiskey scarce, and distributors forced tavern owners to buy heavily on rum to secure a few cases of scotch; Pat O'Brien is credited with pushing surplus rum by mixing it with lemon juice and a passion fruit syrup known as Fassionola, which also gave the drink its original red tint later taken over by grenadine. Served in a glass shaped like a hurricane lamp, the drink caught on with sailors and spread through the French Quarter.
The exact original proportions are not settled: some accounts describe a simple three-part build of dark rum, passion fruit syrup, and lemon juice, while others credit Pat O'Brien's head bartender with a two-rum version, and the syrup itself has been given as either Fassionola or a plain passion fruit syrup. This early formula is what distinguishes the "original recipe" from the Hurricane most bars serve today, which typically adds ingredients such as orange juice, pineapple juice, or grenadine on top of the rum base.
FAQ
What is the original recipe for the Hurricane?
This original recipe is shaken with ice, then strained over crushed ice in a Hurricane glass, churned with more crushed ice to fill it, and finished with a fruit skewer and straw.
What are the basic ingredients of a Hurricane?
Jamaican aged rum, passion fruit syrup, and fresh lemon juice are the three ingredients in this build, shaken together and served over crushed ice.
What is the best way to make a Hurricane at home?
Shake the ingredients hard with ice — the rum and passion fruit syrup need good aeration — then strain into a pre-chilled Hurricane glass packed two-thirds with crushed ice. Top with more crushed ice, churn to fill the glass, and finish with a fruit skewer and a straw.
