Hurricanes and Easy Chairs

The first time I heard the song "If I Can't Sell It, I'll Sit On It" by Ruth Brown was at a burlesque workshop when Miss Jo "Boobs" Weldon taught our class how to do a sexy little chair dance. I loved it then and I loved it even more when this lady played it for us live at Pat O'Briens in New Orleans.

Patty O's is one of the most popular spots on Bourbon Street, and rightly so because it's the home of the almighty hurricane. This classic New Orleans cocktail was invented at Pat O'Briens during World War II as a means of getting rid of rum, which was a less popular spirit during that time. The drink's name comes from the glass it's served in, which is shaped like a hurricane lamp. The hurricane contains equal parts of dark and light rum mixed with passion fruit juice, lime juice, orange juice, simple syrup and a splash of grenadine. It is not an artisanal cocktail by any means (the hurricane mix is sold behind the bar) but it is what it is, and is a fun drink to get sloshed on no matter what.

As finicky as I can be with my cocktails and as much as I usually dread touristy places, I have to say that I enjoyed all our visits to Patty O's (yes there was more than one). We had one fun afternoon knocking back hurricanes with a couple we met from San Diego and thereafter cheering on some older ladies determined to show us that they knew how to down blowjob shots. It was also cool to just sit in the piano room listening to raspy-voiced ladies give Southern flavor to everything from country songs to Journey's "Don't Stop Believing." If you're ever in the Big Easy, a hurricane at Pat O'Briens cannot be missed.