Cooking Lesson #997: Ed’s Birthday Hurricane

…from the Perspectives’ Happy Hour Bar

How are you doin’?  February is my favorite month… groundhogs, SuperBowls and my birthday!  For those wanting to wish me well, you can send your best wishes, cash, checks and credit cards to the email address below. I, for one, am going to party hearty at Peter Lugers Steak House and order my Birthday Hurricane made with passion fruit juice—a little different from the New Orleans’ traditional Hurricane.  While I am not available to celebrate Mardi Gras in the Big Easy this year, tipping back a Hurricane will help get me in the mood.
 
Mardi Gras, which actually falls on March 4th this year, has origins that date back thousands of years to pagan spring and fertility celebrations, such as the Roman festivals of Saturnalia and Lupercalia. When Christianity spread, these traditions were incorporated into the pre-Lenten festivities.
 
Mardi Gras is the final day of Carnival; it thus falls on the day before the beginning  of Lent on Ash Wednesday. Mardi Gras is French for "Fat Tuesday", reflecting the practice of the last night of consuming rich, fatty and sinful foods in preparation for the Christian fasting season of Lent, during which the consumption of such foods is usually avoided. 
 
So, give this formulation a try, but only in moderation—no more than three at a time, but only after you give up your car keys!
 
Prep time:  10 minutes
Yield:  6 cocktails
 
Ingredients 
2 cups passion fruit juice
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 cup lime juice
3/4 cup light rum
3/4 cup dark rum
3 tablespoons grenadine syrup
6 to 8 cups ice cubes
6 orange slices and maraschino cherries
 
Directions 

1. In a pitcher, combine the fruit juice, sugar, lime juice, rums and grenadine.
2. Stir until sugar is dissolved.
3. Pour into hurricane or highball glasses filled with ice.
4. Garnish with orange slices and cherries.

 
ChefSecret:  I used to like to top this cocktail off with a spoonful 151 proof rum, but I can’t seem to find it in liquor stores any more, so instead, just top it off with a tablespoon of straight dark rum.
 
Quip of the Day:  Q.  Why did the Bayou Bubba bring a ladder to the bar? A. He heard the drinks were on the house.
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to  Feeding America, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross.

#Cocktail #HurricaneCocktail #MardiGras #Rum #Grenadine #Birthday #February #HappyHour2025  #Cheers #Recipes2025 #URM #T2T #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #SamaritansPurse #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup 
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