Katrina cocktail

The Hurricane cocktail became popular at Pat O’Brien’s bar in New Orleans, apparently debuted at the 1939 World’s Fair, and was named after the hurricane lamp-shaped glasses the first drinks were served in. It still remains the mainstay libation there and is popular as well among many who roam the French Quarter, seldom quietly, literally in good spirits. It is precisely the object of Uncle John’s admonition, cited earlier*.

Over time, there have been many versions of the Hurricane. Pat O’Brien’s is an extremely sweet drink made of rum, lime juice, passion fruit syrup, and grenadine. After Hurricane Katrina, some New Orleans bars started serving Hurricane Katrina cocktails that were merely Hurricane cocktails in disguise.

This Katrina recipe is my own version. I used the same name because, to the unwarned, it can be as insidious, stormy, and deadly as its namesake. To the more circumspect, however, it is a fine cocktail to accompany the New Orleans style TWHC. But it is more carb-friendly than the others (about 6 gm per serving) and does not contain passion fruit (I don’t like passion fruit!). It was a big hit at the 2011 TWHC! We kept in the menu thereafter.

Katrina Mix
  • 4 cups Ocean Spray diet cranberry - pomegranate juice
  • 3 cups reconstituted Dole® frozen orange - peach - mango juice*
  • 1 cup diet lemon-lime soda
Katrina Cocktail
  • crushed ice
  • 2 to 4 oz dark rum*
  • 4 oz Katrina mix
  • 1 maraschino cherry
  • 1 orange slice
  • 151-proof rum

For the Katrina mix, mix all ingredients together, shaking vigorously to remove the fizz from the soda.

For each cocktail, put the crushed ice, rum (adjust the amount so as not to hurt yourself), and Katrina mix into a cocktail shaker, stir or shake vigorously, pour into a 10 oz lantern-shaped glass, and top with the cherry and orange slice, slit and fit onto the top of the glass. Top with a splash of 151-proof rum for a more authentic touch.

You can also serve this in a 10 oz plastic “to go cup”, or just a “go cup”, as is traditional in New Orleans on leaving a restaurant, if you wish to test your ambulatory acuity while negotiating your way among the other guests.

Premixed Katrina, 24 Proof

If you wish to prepare the Katrina mix laced with enough alcohol to produce 24-proof drinks (before ice), here’s the recipe:

  • 2¾ cups diet cranberry - pomegranate juice
  • 2 cups reconstituted Dole® frozen orange - peach - mango juice
  • ¾ cup diet lemon-lime soda
  • 2½ cups 80-proof rum

Makes 2 quarts. Serve over ice and add the 151-proof over the top, as usual.

Premixed Katrina, 30 Proof

If you wish to prepare the Katrina mix laced with enough alcohol to produce 30-proof drinks (before ice), here’s the recipe:

  • 2½ cups diet cranberry - pomegranate juice
  • 15 oz reconstituted Dole® frozen orange - peach - mango juice
  • 5 oz diet lemon-lime soda
  • 3 cups 80-proof rum

Makes 2 quarts. Serve over ice and add the 151-proof over the top, as usual.