Judy's Big Orange Cooler Hurricanes

When most people think of Mardi Gras they think of New Orleans, but St. Louis' Mardi Gras celebration is the second largest celebration in the US. In the weeks leading up to Fat Tuesday, immediately followed by Ash Wednesday, there is the Soulard Barkus Parade, with the Soulard Mardi Gras parade usually being held on the weekend prior. After spending a number of years traveling down to the Soulard neighborhood by cab with friends to stand out in the cold with tens of thousands of people, drinking $10 Southern Comfort hurricanes (utter blasphemy!), and waiting in endless lines for my turn in the 3' X 2' stench cell, also known as a porta-potty, I finally decided to stop the madness and celebrate at home.

When you're inviting over a significant number of friends it's important to have a solid go-to recipe for making a large batch of genuine Hurricanes. I've taken the basic, true Hurricane cocktail recipe and tweaked it out for large-scale use and to allow usage of standard-sized containers of liquor and juice. I prepare my Hurricanes in the standard round, orange cooler with a spout, and freeze large blocks of ice ahead of time to keep the drink cold inside the cooler throughout the party.

Judy's Big Orange Cooler Hurricanes

Add 2-3 large blocks of ice (you could use a cake pan or bread pan to make these) to your cooler.

1 gallon of no pulp orange juice

1 bottle of Myer's Dark Rum (or other dark rum)

1 bottle of Mount Gay Eclipse Gold Rum (or other gold rum)

1 bottle Bacardi White Rum (or other white rum) 

12 oz freshly squeezed lemon juice

10 oz freshly squeezed lime juice

14 oz Monin Passion Fruit syrup

12 oz Monon Grenadine syrup

28 oz cold water

8 oz simple syrup

Stir all of the ingredients inside the cooler to mix, and serve the hurricanes to your guests over ice. 

Be forewarned that the mixture of juices and syrups mask the high alcohol content of these drinks, so be sure that guests know that these hurricanes pack a punch.

Cheers, ~Dr. Cocktation