You are Like a Hurricane, There's Storm in Your Eyes

Mardi Gras! Fat Tuesday!

Time to party like there's no booze until Easter.

There's not really much to say about Mardi Gras and Carnival that hasn't already been said.

So.

Drink up!

I've had the pleasure of a few visits to New Orleans. What I love about New Orleans is that it couldn't happen anywhere else on the planet. The confluence of the Gulf bay bringing in sailors and trade combined with Olde South gentility and the French settlers...it's a perfect storm of cultural, agricultural and economic mix that makes New Orleans unique. Truly, there is no place on earth remotely similar to New Orleans, and it could never happen anywhere else. This is reflected in the diverse culture, intoxicating regional cuisine...and magnificent local libations!

I loves me a Hurricane. But ever since Katrina hit I feel a little *awkward* ordering a Hurricane. It feels insensitive to order a party drink named for the disaster that hit New Orleans. Hurricanes (the drink) hit you hard, but comparing their rum TKO punch to Katrina seems, you know, insensitive. They were originally named for the way they hit you when you stand up: Like a hurricane. It used to be a humorous moniker. Hurricane was the punchline of a joke.
"Why is this innocent, pretty, fruity beverage called a Hurricane?"
"Drink all of it, then stand up. It'll hit you like a Category 5."


But now, post-Katrina, hurricanes in New Orleans are no laughing matter. So I feel uncomfortable ordering a drink named for the natural disaster that devastated the beloved city where it originated.

But.

They're good and it's Mardi Gras and I am choosing to put aside my sensitivities and revel in the joy that is a New Orleans treasure. Let's throw on some lively jazz or Zydeco and dust off the Hurricane glasses!

I present to you, the mighty

Hurricane

What you'll need

3/4 oz. Light Rum (Bacardi's a solid choice.)

3/4 oz. Dark Rum (Meyers is a good choice and adds a Caribbean kick)

3/4 oz. 151 Rum* OR an additional 3/4 oz. of light or dark rum.

Orange Juice

Pineapple Juice

1/2 oz. Grenadine

Ice

Hurricane or Collins glass

Garnish: Pineapple, cherries, oranges

How you'll construct it:

You can build this drink or shake it or roll it or blend it. 
Fill Hurricane or Collins glass with ice.
Add ingredients, in order. 
Garnish and serve.
OR:
Fill Hurricane or Collins glass with ice.
Fill shaker about 1/2 with ice. 
Add all ingredients in shaker.
Martini shake the ingredients.
Strain contents of shaker into glass.
Add garnish. 
OR:
Fill Hurricane or Collins glass with ice.
Pour the ice from the glass into shaker.
Roll** ingredients  
Pour all contents of shaker, including ice, into glass. 
Garnish and serve
 
Any way you build or mix it, it's good, but they're best served over ice. 1) It adds a little water to the cocktail. You'll appreciate any extra drop of water you drank with this cocktail when the morning after dawns. 2) Fresh juices, especially pineapple, tend to get "sticky" and syrupy when room temp. The ice keeps the flavors fresh and the viscosity palatable.

You may also wish to serve Hurricanes frozen. You'll need a blender. Measure ice into the serving glass. Pour that ice into the blender (no more, no less). Add all ingredients. Blend until slushy. Pour into glass, garnish and serve.

OR:

Substitute Pat O'Brien's Hurricane Mix for the juices. In my estimation, this is the only acceptable Hurricane mix. 

Pat's recipe varies from the version I learned. It has "just" one type of rum (and no 151) which makes it "safer." 

4 oz. of Pat O'Brien's Hurricane Rum or a good Dark Rum
4 oz. of Pat O'Brien's Hurricane Mix
Fill Hurricane or Collins glass with crushed ice
Garnish with an orange and cherry

**Rolling a drink refers to the mixing method where the cocktail ingredients are transferred from one shaker to another and then transferred into the serving glass. The shaker is not vigorously shaken, the desired result is to merely blend the ingredients and ice. Often the ice is not strained, the ingredients and ice all go into the glass together.  Margaritas, Long Island Iced Teas, tropical drinks and the like employ the rolling mix technique. Rule of thumb: If juice or sour mix is an ingredient, giving the ingredients a roll before serving is a good idea. This method is most often used when the base alcohol is not vodka or gin.  (Obviously there are exceptions (as in Long Island Iced Teas), but vodka and gin are appreciated at cold temps, hence more vigorous and prolonged ice/shaker time cools them down.)

* 151 Rum is just that: 151 Proof. Which means it's 75.5% alcohol. It is also known as "overproof" rum. As a point of reference, Everclear, which is illegal in many states, is available in 151 or 190 Proof. If you choose to mix with 151 go easy on the pour. You are playing with fire. Make sure you serve your guests plenty of water with 151 drinks. They'll thank you later.

So that's the storied, wonderful, fruity, rumfest that is the Hurricane.

But Fat Tuesday celebrations are not limited to New Orleans or America! 

Carnival! Rio!

When I hear Rio! I think:

Caipirinha!  (Ki pur een ya!)

What you'll need:

2 tsp granulated sugar
8 small lime wedges
2 1/2 oz Sagatiba Pura (cachaca)*

How you'll construct it:

Muddle** the sugar into the lime wedges in an old-fashioned glass. 

Fill the glass with ice cubes. 

Pour the cachaca into the glass. 

Stir well.

Garnish with a lime wheel and serve.

These are refreshing, zesty cocktails - and the official drink of Brazil! (It's basically a Mojito without the mint or soda.)

*Cachaca (pronounced KA SHA SA) is a sugarcane alcohol similar to rum, and, like rum, is available in dark and light varieties. It's the most popular liquor in Brazil. It's readily available in larger liquor stores, but if you can't find it locally you can substitute light rum (not spiced or coconut). It changes the flavor but in a pinch rum will work.

**You'll need a muddler to muddle! A muddler and rocks glass are like a mortar and pestle. The muddler is a blunt wood or stainless baseball bat shaped bar tool. It's often included in barware sets and people often don't know what they are or why it came with their cocktail shaker. It's most often used to make a mash comprised of sugar or bitters with limes, lemons or mint leaves. Place the ingredients to be muddled in the bottom of a rocks glass. Gently mash the ingredients with the rounded end of the muddler just until combined/mixed. The goal is to release the aroma of the fruit or mint and soften it's bite with sugar. Then pour in the liquid ingredients. Voila! Muddled and sipped!