10 Facts for Fat Tuesday: The Story of the Hurricane

It’s one of New Orleans’s most enduringly popular cocktails, and — like most things from the Big Easy — it comes with a great back-story: the Hurricane.

We know that many of you will be sipping a Hurricane of your own tonight (or perhaps today, you lucky bastard) in celebration of Mardi Gras, whether here in Houston or in New Orleans itself. Just don’t be suckered into drinking the Hurricane Judy at Katz’s — trust us.

Instead, grab a Houston version of the classic cocktail at a truly Cajun spot like Beaucoup Bar & Grill, where the restaurant is running a Fat Tuesday special: $6 for small frozen Hurricanes or $13 for large ones. Refills are $7 on the large Hurricanes, and in true New Orleans tradition, you get to keep the glass.

For more Hurricane facts, check out our handy infographic below.

How many pennies can a Hurricane glass hold? Find out on the next page.

To see the entire Hurricane infographic in all its glory, head to the next page.

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This article appears in Mar 3-9, 2011.