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The Hurricane drink is a very sweet rum-based fruity cocktail that originated in the French Quarter in New Orleans. It’s traditionally served in a – you guessed it – hurricane glass.

But because New Orleans law permits people to leave bars with drinks in hand, some New Orleans bars serve it in a plastic cup.

This drink always tops our list of Mardi Gras cocktails because it’s so classic and delicious. I also created a Hurricane mocktail for non-drinkers.

The traditional recipe is actually pretty simple – just two kinds of rum, some passion fruit syrup and lime juice. But over the years, bartenders have added and swapped many ingredients.

Some add amaretto, orange juice, Grenadine, or even gin or vodka. Unlike, say, a Gin Martini which is considered to be a perfected recipe, this is one of those cocktails bartenders enjoy putting their own twists on.

And so should you. Your perfect Hurricane may differ from someone else’s. Play around with the recipe and come up with your own perfect recipe.

You can feel free to tinker with the amounts and put your own signature twist on this drink. Try it with orange juice, or passion fruit juice instead of syrup. Get creative!

Whichever way you go, the passion fruit flavor makes this drink unique among cocktails, and tasty as can be. If you opt for for passion fruit juice, you’ll probably need the simple syrup to counteract its tartness.

The advantage of using passion fruit syrup is convenience. You can buy your passion fruit syrup, or you can make your own if you prefer. And then you don’t need to add simple syrup.

And passion fruit juice can be very hard to find sometimes, especially in some areas. You may need to order it online (the previous link goes to Amazon). Passion fruit syrup can be a little bit easier to work with.

Some people feel the homemade version of passion fruit syrup can taste fresher and add something special to the drink. If you’re torn between using fresh juice and a bottled syrup, making your own syrup could be the answer.

This drink is associated with party times, but it’s also lovely for sipping on a hot, lazy afternoon. The crushed ice keeps it nice and cold.

And the flavors in the drink are strong enough to stand up to the ice. A little bit of watering down won’t hurt the taste of this drink. Its flavors are more complex than you might think from looking at the recipe.

As important as the passion fruit is to this drink, it’s also worth using some nice, drinkable rums. They don’t have to be top shelf, but you will taste them, so they should be something you would consider drinking neat.

It’s a perfect drink to enjoy by the pool or on a picnic. Or on the patio while you catch up on some reading.

The hurricane glass is arguably essential for serving this cocktail. It’s worth having a nice set of hurricane glasses for a lot of cocktails you might want to serve your guests.

Passion fruit has a very distinctive, tart flavor. Most people love it, which makes this a great drink to serve at parties.

You can also make this drink big-batch style. Make a big batch in a pitcher and keep it in the refrigerator to serve to guests as they run out.

The original recipe didn’t call for specific amounts of the ingredients. Experienced bartenders probably didn’t need them. We’ve added in some suggested amounts for those of you who prefer specifics.

However you make your drink, the main thing is to use equal parts of light and dark rum, and probably about half that amount of passion fruit syrup. For the lime juice, you start with half a lime – whatever size lime you have on hand – and add more if you prefer.

If you enjoy this drink, check out the Zombie, another classic fruit cocktail featuring plenty of rum. And the Lady Killer blends passion fruit juice with gin, Cointreau and more.

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