After World War II, demand for scarce supplies of bourbon and Scotch was high but not so much for rum, which was plentiful. To address this quandary of supply and demand, the restaurant/bar, Pat O’Briens in New Orleans created a drink loaded with rum to both bump up the popularity of the liquor and use up the excess. Along with a generous pour of rum, it included lemon juice and a local syrup called Fassionola which contained Hibiscus and strawberries. A later version changed that to passion fruit juice. They called it a Hurricane, named after the distinct glass it was served in and it became a hit that was forever associated with New Orleans.
Later versions of the drink were made with a mass produced mix that was VERY sweet. On a trip to New Orleans in my twenties, I tried one and found it to be like a red punch from a sixth grade dance that had been seriously spiked with rum. The original concept is good, though so I brought it back to its first iteration and gave it a Runamok twist.
I kept the rum but brought it down to ‘easy sipping’ range, rather than ‘lift your shirt at mardi gras’ level. Feel free to add more if you want to aid in reducing the supply of rum in your pantry. The passion fruit is included but I also added Runamok’s Hibiscus Infused Maple to return the hibiscus flavor in the original that gives it a tangy punch. Lastly, I added our Maple Mule Mix which contains citrus and fresh ginger, both of which keep this drink from being too saccharine sweet. It is not the original, but it is lengths better than the rum-and-red slushies given to tourists.
The name comes from the era of prohibition when Pat O’Briens’ was a speakeasy. Allegedly, the password was “storm’s brewin’”.
Storm’s brewin’
½ oz Runamok Maple Mule Mix
1 oz dark rum
1 oz passion fruit juice
¼ oz Runamok Hibiscus Infused Maple or grenadine
Crushed ice
Mix the Maple Mule mix, rum, passion fruit juice, and Hibiscus Infused Maple (or grenadine) in a tall glass or, if you want to relive a trip to New Orleans, a plastic cup. Stir well and add lots of crushed ice.
