Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Pat O'Brien and his Hurricane

     The Hurricane Cocktail was first made by Pat O'Brien in the 1940'sa as a means to dispose of an inventory of rum that wasn't selling very well in those days.    Whiskey and Scotch were the liquors of choice in those days and a cocktail that used rum in large quantities was the answer to the problem.     In the days after prohibition there was little whiskey available for the bars, and if you wanted a bottle of whiskey, you had to buy a case of rum at the same time.   It seems that where there is a need to reduce the inventory of a particular liquor, a creative drink innovator pops up and creates a cocktail to solve the problem.     I remember the "Rumrunner" as another example of a cocktail emerging from a similar problem.

     The original recipe is said to have put 4 ounces of rum with 2 ounces of  passion fruit syrup and s2 ounces of lemon juice.    The concoction was then placed in a glass shaped like a hurricane lantern and thus the name for the cocktail.       Unfortunately the original cocktail seems to have been lost in the shuffle of time and mixocology.     Today there are as many recipes for this famous cocktail as there are bartender's mixing them.
      
      Patty O'Brien's Hurricane
  • 4 oz. Dark Rum
  • 2 oz. Passion Fruit Syrup
  • 2 oz. Lemon Juice
Shake with ice and strain into a Hurricane Glass half filled with ice.  Garnish with orange slice and a cherry.

In 1944 Pat O;Brien  trademarked his "Hurricane Mix in packets that you could as the story goes just add a bit of rum to and you would have a "Hurricane Cocktail" at home.    The real problem lies in that you cant even get an "Authentic Hurricane" even at it place of origin.    

     There is "Hurricane " in the Bahama's that is a different cocktail made from 151 rum, Irish Cream, and Grand Mariner, that is commonly found in many bars in Nassau.     There are several variations of this cocktail also as you travel around the Bahamas.

     Bahama Bob's Hurricane
  • 1 oz. Wray & Nephew Overproof Rum
  • 1 oz. Dark Rum
  • 1 oz. White Rum
  • 1 oz. Amaretto
  • 1/2 oz. Orange Juice
  • 1/2 oz. Pineapple Juice
  • 1 oz. Cranberry Juice
Shake all ingredients over ice and strain into a pint glass filled with ice.    Garnish with an orange slice and a cherry.

     This is only one of the thousands of recipes fora "Hurricane" today, but you will find the spirit of Patty O'Brien in all of them you get to experience today.     ;o)

No comments:

Post a Comment