New Orleans is known for its hurricanes -- yes, the scary rain ones, but also the cocktail. Pat O'Briens is the usual place to grab one, but when it's about 1,500 miles away, it's best to find a spot close by that makes them well.
A typical hurricane is a mixture of rums, passion fruit juice, ice and a little grenadine to give it the sweet edge. It's an easy cocktail to suck down, which can really knock you on your butt if you don't watch it.
We headed out to Angry Crab Shack in Mesa and Welcome Diner in downtown Phoenix to see who stirs up the best hurricane.
In This Corner: Angry Crab Shack in Mesa
The Setup: Angry Crab Shack isn't for the clean eaters. Here the specialty is a pound of seasoned seafood -- crab, shrimp, lobster, etc. Once ready, the servers plop the bag of food on the paper-covered table with a few bibs, cracking tools and buckets. If digging into messy seafood doesn't sound pleasing, they also serve po'boys and seafood baskets. Meals start at $7 but can go above the $25 point depending on the seafood market cost.
The Good: The cocktail was brought out in a frosty glass mug and had the traditional passion fruit juice. It was refreshing and easy to drink. It's also a good portion for $8.
The Bad: It came with a lime filled with grenadine to tip into the drink. The waitress said it was done so people can control how much they'd like, but we personally like cocktails already mixed. It was also missing the sweet edge of hurricanes.
In This Corner: Welcome Diner
The Setup: Welcome Diner is a small trailer complete with a small bar area and a large relaxed patio. It's opened for dinner from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. (except Mondays) and brunch is currently served on the weekends from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. This restaurant is known in the Valley for it's Southern comfort food from biscuit sandwiches to burgers to beignets.
The Good:The hurricane comes served in a mason jar garnished with an orange slice. The fresh lime, orange, passion fruit and pineapple juice made it taste crisp and sweet. It's also $8.
The Bad: It may be a little too sweet. Drinking more than one could be difficult.
The Winner: Although the Angry Crab's hurricane was less sweet than Welcome Diner's, a hurricane needs to be a little sugary tasting. So, Welcome Diner is the winner! We appreciated the twist added by using different juices and that it was already completely made when brought out.
