carmen's kitch: the Roanoke Hurricane

It's two degrees outside right now, and we spent the evening drinking fruity tropical hurricanes. I've learned so many important lessons in the kitchen, and was reminded of a few of these today.

Make the best of what you have.

I spent the afternoon running around town in search of passion fruit juice. I read on multiple online sites that the secret to the perfect hurricane was this juice. Well, as it turns out you can't find passion fruit juice in Roanoke. I found every other flavor of Goya juice in the hispanic section of the grocery store, but no passion fruit. We used freshly squeezed orange juice and pineapple juice and it was perfect. Rather than get frustrated and call off our fun theme night, I'm so happy I made the best of what I could find.

Even in the freezing cold, you can pretend you're in Jamaica.

It's so easy to allow the weather to determine your mood. Somehow when it's dark, freezing cold, or pouring down rain, it seems natural to embrace the blues. You don't have to be that way. Just a little reminder of warm weather, like a coral manicure (OPI cajun shrimp is my favorite) or a fruity cocktail can totally brighten the day.

I sampled a few versions of the hurricane before deciding on my favorite. The traditional recipe has 4 ounces of rum and 4 ounces of juice (passion fruit, lime juice, and grenadine). I sampled one that included amaretto, and the flavor was so well balanced without the harsh rum kick. My favorite version (the same as Martha Stewart's recipe) had 3 ounces of rum, with one shot of Bicardi 151, and 1 ounce of Amaretto to balance the flavor.

I named this one the Roanoke Hurricane since all of these ingredients can be found right here in town!

the Roanoke Hurricane
1 oz light rum
1 oz dark rum
1 oz bacardi 151
1 oz amaretto almond liqueur
1 dash grenadine
juice of half a lime
orange juice
pineapple juice
1 orange slice
1 maraschino cherry

Pour all but the pineapple and orange juice, in the order listed, into a hurricane glass three-quarters filled with ice. Fill with equal parts orange juice and pineapple juice until the glass is full. Garnish with orange slice and cherry.

carmen's kitch: the Roanoke Hurricane