Hurricane Cocktail
This New Orleans classic is bold, fruity, and rum-forward, with passion fruit, citrus, and grenadine balancing the drink’s strength. Serve it over plenty of ice in a hurricane glass, or use any tall glass you have.
- Total time
- 5 min
- Yield
- 1 cocktail
- Difficulty
- Easy
Prep 5mCook 0mAmericanDrinks
The Hurricane cocktail is closely tied to New Orleans, where it became famous as a festive rum drink served in a curved glass shaped like a hurricane lamp. It is bright, tropical, and stronger than it tastes, so it is a drink to sip slowly.
This version uses light rum and dark rum for depth, plus passion fruit juice, orange juice, lime juice, grenadine, and a little simple syrup. The result is sweet-tart, fruity, and smooth without needing a bottled mix.
A cocktail shaker helps chill and blend the drink quickly. If you do not have one, a jar with a tight lid works well.
01What you'll need
Ingredients
10 items · 1 cocktail
- 2 ounces light rum
- 2 ounces dark rum
- 2 ounces passion fruit juice or passion fruit nectar
- 1 ounce orange juice
- 1 ounce fresh lime juice
- 1/2 ounce grenadine
- 1/2 ounce simple syrup, or to taste
- Ice, for shaking and serving
- Orange wheel, for garnish
- Maraschino cherry, for garnish
02How to make it
Step-by-step
1. Chill the glass
Fill a hurricane glass or tall glass with ice while you mix the drink. This keeps the cocktail cold from the first sip.
2. Measure the rums
Pour the light rum and dark rum into a cocktail shaker. Measuring matters here because this drink contains a full 4 ounces of rum.
3. Add the juices
Add the passion fruit juice, orange juice, and fresh lime juice to the shaker. Fresh lime gives the drink the tart edge it needs to balance the sweetness.
4. Sweeten the mix
Add the grenadine and simple syrup. If your passion fruit nectar is very sweet, use only half the simple syrup at first. You can add more after tasting.
5. Shake with ice
Fill the shaker about halfway with ice. Seal it and shake hard for 10 to 15 seconds, until the outside feels very cold. Shaking chills, dilutes, and blends the drink.
6. Strain and serve
Empty the ice from the chilled glass if it has melted a lot, then refill with fresh ice. Strain the cocktail into the glass.
7. Garnish and sip
Add an orange wheel and a maraschino cherry. Serve right away while the drink is cold and bright.
03From our kitchen
Cook's tips
- Make-ahead: Mix the passion fruit juice, orange juice, lime juice, grenadine, and simple syrup up to 1 day ahead. Refrigerate it in a sealed jar. Add the rum and shake with ice just before serving.
- Storage: A finished Hurricane is best right away. Once shaken with ice, it will slowly water down and lose its fresh citrus flavor.
- Batching: For 4 cocktails, multiply every ingredient by 4 and stir the juices, syrups, and rums together in a pitcher. Chill well, then pour over ice. Do not add ice to the pitcher unless you plan to serve it immediately.
- Sweetness control: Passion fruit nectar is often sweeter than passion fruit juice. Start with less simple syrup if using nectar, then adjust to taste.
- Rum swaps: You can use all dark rum or all light rum if that is what you have, but the mix of both gives the drink a rounder flavor.
- No shaker: Use a clean jar with a tight lid. Wrap it in a towel before shaking in case the glass gets slippery from condensation.
Cook's note
This recipe makes a strong cocktail. In the United States, it contains more alcohol than one standard drink. Serve responsibly and keep alcoholic drinks for adults of legal drinking age.
04Frequently asked
Questions & answers
What glass should I use for a Hurricane cocktail?
A curved hurricane glass is traditional, but any tall 12- to 16-ounce glass works. The key is having enough room for ice and garnish.
Can I make a Hurricane without passion fruit juice?
Yes. Use passion fruit nectar if you can find it. If not, try a mix of pineapple juice and a little extra lime juice. The flavor will be different, but still tropical and balanced.
Is grenadine the same as cherry syrup?
No. Grenadine is usually a pomegranate-flavored syrup, though many store-bought versions are mostly sugar and fruit flavoring. It adds color and sweetness, not a true cherry flavor.
Can I make this cocktail less strong?
Yes. Use 1 ounce light rum and 1 ounce dark rum instead of 2 ounces each, then keep the juices the same. The drink will be lighter but still flavorful.
Can I make a nonalcoholic Hurricane-style drink?
Yes. Skip the rum and shake the juices, grenadine, and simple syrup with ice. Top with 2 to 3 ounces of chilled sparkling water or ginger ale for a bright mocktail.
05Per serving
Nutrition facts
Nutrition Facts
1 cocktail
Amount per serving
% Daily Value*
- Total Fat0 g
- 0%
- Saturated Fat0 g
- 0%
- Cholesterol0 mg
- 0%
- Sodium10 mg
- 0%
- Total Carbohydrate40 g
- 15%
- Dietary Fiber1 g
- 4%
- Total Sugars34 g
- Protein1 g
- 2%
- Vitamin D0 mcg
- 0%
- Calcium20 mg
- 2%
- Iron0.2 mg
- 1%
- Potassium280 mg
- 6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000-calorie diet.
05Keep cooking
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