BIG BATCH HURRICANE COCKTAIL RECIPE FOR MARDI GRAS

Whether you're hosting a Mardi Gras party or just want a fun cocktail everyone will like, a Hurricane is a can't miss fruity rum favorite. Made popular at Pat O"Brien's tavern in New Orleans back during WW2 when whiskey and other liquors were hard to come by. Today, the Hurricane is a mainstay on cocktail menus around Bourbon Street but tourists line up to get the original from Pat O'Brien's in the signature hurricane glass.

Martie's Party Hurricanes 

INGREDIENTS

1  1/2 ounces light rum         

1  1/2 ounces dark rum

1 ounce fresh squeezed orange juice

1 ounce fresh squeezed lime juice 

1/4 cup passion fruit juice (find it in the canned juice or International foods aisles)

1 sugar cube (about a teaspoon of granulated sugar)

1 teaspoon Grenadine

Maraschino cherries plus juice and orange slices for garnish

Ice

DIRECTIONS:

In a cocktail shaker, mix the rum, juices and sugar until sugar is dissolved. Add Grenadine, and stir to combine, then add ice and shake. Add ice to a Hurricane style glass, strain into the glass. Add a dash of the cherry juice. Garnish with orange slices and cherries.

Serves 1.

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BIG BATCH HURRICANE COCKTAIL RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

25.4 ounces (1-750 ml bottle)  light rum

25.4 ounces (1-750 ml bottle) dark rum

2 cups freshly squeezed lime juice

2 cups freshly squeezed orange juice

4 cups passion fruit juice

16 sugar cubes or about 1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup Grenadine

Maraschino cherries plus juice and orange slices for garnish

Ice

DIRECTIONS:

Mix all ingredients except the ice together in a large container or dispenser. Chill. Serve over ice. Makes 15-20 cocktails depending on portion size.

DIY VALENTINE'S DAY: SURPRISE YOUR VALENTINE WITH A COFFEE HOUSE STYLE LATTE AND HEART (WITHOUT A MACHINE)

If you wake up on Valentine's Day (or her birthday or anniversary, etc) and have no gift or card ready, no worries! Your sweetheart will love your clever Valentine's Day coffee 'card' but let's be real. A heart in her coffee isn't going to get you completely off the hook but it might buy you a little time. Even if you are not an artist like the baristas at your favorite coffee shop or you don't have a cappuccino machine or milk frother at home (I don't) you can still whip up a perfectly frothy latte using a Mason jar or a whisk.

Make a latte milk foam heart like coffee shop baristas make as shown in the photo on the left or use a stencil made from tin foil to easily create a heart design in the milk foam as shown on the right. It's easy to make the milk foam, but to draw the heart design with the milk foam does require practice. I watched a video from BaristaJam.com to learn how.

SUPPLIES

Foil

Scissors

Small mesh strainer

Mason jar with lid or whisk

INGREDIENTS

Espresso or strong coffee

1% or 2% milk

Cocoa or powdered cinnamon

HOW TO:

Make a heart stencil from a small piece of tin foil. Fold a 5x5 inch piece of foil in half. With the scissors, cut half a heart like you did back in grade school. Open it up.

Put a teaspoon or less of cocoa or cinnamon into the mesh strainer.

Make strong coffee or espresso as usual. 

Be prepared to use the milk and foam immediately as it will dissolve quickly.

MICROWAVE METHOD: Pour the milk into the Mason jar or heat-proof jar and tighten the lid. Do not fill more than half full because it will expand.  Shake the jar really hard for 40 seconds until it doubles in volume. Take the lid off the jar. Microwave uncovered on high for 30 seconds. The foam should rise to the top of the jar.

STOVE METHOD: Put the milk into a saucepan. Heat through but do not allow the milk to come to a boil. Whisk the milk vigorously until it foams.

Pour the coffee into a mug and spoon the hot milk and foam on top. Gently place the stencil over the foam and dust the cocoa or cinnamon over it.  

RECIPE: BISCUITS AND CHOCOLATE GRAVY

Traditional buttermilk biscuits with chocolate gravy.... yes. Chocolate. This old-school Southern treat isn’t seen too much anymore. Back in the day, many farm families would make a skillet chocolate sauce or ‘gravy’ and turn their leftover breakfast biscuits into a sweet treat or dessert. 

You can use your own biscuit recipe or even use canned or frozen biscuits if you must. The key is to make sure the biscuits are nice and warm before you spoon over the chocolate gravy. If I'm using leftover biscuits, I warm them in the oven while I'm making the gravy.

TRADITONAL BUTTERMILK BISCUITS 

INGREDIENTS

½ cup cold butter (one stick)

2 cups self-rising flour

¾ cup buttermilk

3 tablespoons butter, melted

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Cut the butter into the flour using a pastry cutter or fork. Add the buttermilk. Stir just until moistened. Turn out onto a floured work surface. Flour rolling pin. Knead 3-4 times. Roll dough ¾” thick. Cut with a 2” circle biscuit cutter that you flour between each cut. Place on a greased baking sheet. Let them barely touch if you want taller biscuits- they'll have each other to push against to help them rise. Don't let them touch if you like a less 'fluffy' biscuit. Brush with melted butter and bake for 12-14 minutes. 

Makes about a dozen.

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CHOCOLATE GRAVY

INGREDIENTS

1 cup sugar

3 tablespoons cocoa powder

2 tablespoons all purpose flour

Pinch kosher salt

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 ½ cups whole milk

DIRECTIONS:

Sift the sugar, salt, cocoa powder and flour together. Put butter in a cast iron skillet. Over medium-low heat, add the flour mixture and cook like you would a roux, stirring until it becomes light brown and you've cooked off some of the raw flour taste.

Whisk in the milk, a little at a time, whisking each addition until smooth. Keep whisking until there are no lumps. Turn up the heat to medium heat, stirring continually until it thickens.

I like to add shavings of some really good chocolate when I serve it... I keep scraps just for this purpose.