hurricane

4 oz Dark Jamaican Rum (2 oz Coruba, 1/2 oz Smith & Cross, 1/2 oz Wray & Nephew Overproof)
2 oz Passion Fruit Syrup (1 1/2 oz housemade)
2 oz Lemon Juice (1 1/2 oz)

Shake with crushed ice and pour into a Hurricane glass or large Tiki mug. Top with crushed ice.

A few Tuesdays ago, I finally found frozen passion fruit pulp to make my own passion fruit syrup. I had received a tip on Chowhound to look in the lowboy freezer in the middle of the Pao de Acucar Market in Union Square, Somerville, MA. There, I found enough pulp to make 24 oz of syrup for $4. Making the syrup was as easy as opening two 3 oz packets and letting them thaw in an equal volume (6 oz) of simple syrup according to Beachbum Berry. I added a fine straining step to remove some of the seeds. With a fresh and aromatic batch of passion fruit syrup in hand, I decided to start with the classic Hurricane. While I have had or made variations on the classic, especially with bartenders across town last year showcasing their Tales of the Cocktail Hurricane competition entries (such as Hurricane Caesar and Category 1), I have not had the basic three ingredient one.
The Hurricane's creation can be traced back to Pat O'Brien's in New Orleans circa 1940. Bartender Louis Culligan crafted this drink as a way of getting rid of excess rum that needed to be purchased to get other spirits. Beachbum Berry provides more history in Remixed, and the recipe I utilized came straight from that source. To garnish the drink, besides mint sprigs and a wide lemon swath, I added pink orchid-like flowers from our ornamental pea plant. Once prepared, the Hurricane shared a mint aroma over the fruity nose from the passion fruit. Lemon and an almost peachy note from the passion fruit on the sip led into funky rums on the swallow with a citrussy finish.