Hurricane glasses: features and varieties

Tropical cocktails garnished with fruit slices and mint look best in Hurricane glasses . These vessels with a tall, elegant bowl on a short stem hold 400-750 ml of liquid. If you're into mixing drinks, this is a must have in your bar collection. But first, arm yourself with useful information to choose the right glasses!

History of appearance

The name "Hurricane" is translated from English as "hurricane". Beautiful glasses first appeared in bar use in the 40s of the twentieth century. Then, as a result of the Second World War, a sharp shortage of strong alcoholic beverages arose.

To make up for the shortage, owners of liquor stores and bars began to actively purchase rum from the Caribbean islands. I had to come up with new rum-based cocktails. The most popular of them was “Hurricane” - a mixture of light and dark rum, passion fruit syrup and fruit juices. The drink was served in special glasses, modeled after an oil lamp with a high curved cap. It was called hurricane after the hurricane that hit Scotland in 1782.

The inventor of the Hurricane cocktail was New Orleans bartender Pat O'Brien. But who invented the dishes for his masterpiece, history is silent.

There is also a version that the vessels with an unusual silhouette appeared as a result of a natural disaster. A hurricane that swept across America destroyed a glassware factory. As a result of the explosion, the glass furnaces changed the shape of the glasses. Having discovered the unusual products, the workers gave them the name “hurricane”.

Features of Hurricane glasses

The vessel resembles a miniature vase on a low leg. The walls narrow at the top and then smoothly expand upward. The spacious bowl allows you to add plenty of ice and fruit to your drinks. The widened top maximizes the aroma of alcohol, and the massive base protects the product from falling.

Since the vessel is held by the stem while drinking, it does not heat up from the heat of the hand. Hurricane looks especially attractive with a cocktail garnish - slices of fruit, chocolate and coconut shavings, as well as straws and umbrellas. The top edge is often decorated with a rim of powdered sugar.

Manufacturing materials

Cocktails made from tropical ingredients have a spectacular appearance. To emphasize this feature, the glasses should be transparent. Another important difference is the durable walls that can keep the contents cold for a long time. The material that best meets these requirements is high-quality glass. Initially, Hurricane glasses were made only from it. Now crystal and polycarbonate are also used to make this tableware.

From glass

Glass glasses show off the beauty of cocktails, cool quickly and are inexpensive. The main disadvantage of this material is considered to be fragility, due to which glass glasses are incompatible with the dishwasher. They are washed only by hand and then carefully wiped with a dry cloth to maintain their shine.

A more durable option is tempered glass . Products made from it are distinguished by their impressive appearance, durability, and impact resistance. Drinks in such containers stay cold longer. Tempered glass containers are dishwasher safe. The disadvantage of tempered glass is its high price.

The newest variation of this material is recycled glass . It is created from glassware fragments and glass production waste. Recycling makes the material more durable. But if a glass made from recycled glass does break, it can be recycled again.

The most advantageous material for bars and cafes is double heat-resistant glass . Vessels of this type are created according to the principle of a thermos. The space between the double walls acts as a temperature insulator, keeping cocktails cold. Double glass has increased resistance to impacts and scratches. It does not absorb odors and is easy to clean by hand and in the dishwasher. Heat-resistant dishes benefit visually, creating the illusion of liquid floating in the air.

Polycarbonate

This material is a transparent polymer that does not break even from strong impacts. It is much lighter in weight than ordinary glass, can withstand temperature changes, and can be washed with any household chemicals. Hurricane glasses made of polycarbonate cannot be distinguished by appearance from glass ones. They are absolutely safe for health, do not react with acids, and do not affect the taste of the contents.

From crystal

eklo-hrustalnoe/">Crystal hurricanes attract attention with their exquisite appearance. Perfect transparency and bright shine maximize the beauty of drinks. But crystal is a fragile and very demanding material to care for. Products made from it cannot be washed in the dishwasher and dried upside down. Crystal hurricanes They are expensive, so they are used only in home collections and elite restaurants.

Shapes and sizes

The classic hurricane glass is an hourglass-shaped vessel. Its height is 20 cm, the diameter at the widest part is 7.6 cm. The size of the leg should not exceed a third of the height of the bowl.

But there are no strict standards for Hurricane sizes, and manufacturers create products with a volume of 0.33 to 0.44 liters. In different bars you can find both miniature glasses with a capacity of 0.23 liters and impressive vessels with a capacity of 0.5 liters.

The shape of the Hurricane glass may vary slightly. There are options with the following features:

• several bends along the length of the bowl;
• beveled top edge;
• inclined or asymmetrical walls;
• curved or twisted leg;
• bowl in the shape of a cone or cylinder;
• minimalist leg.

Some manufacturers break the tradition of mandatory transparency of the vessel by decorating their products with colored legs and rims. The sides of the glasses are sometimes covered with engravings that resemble the texture of pineapples, oranges and other tropical fruits.

Criterias of choice

The main factor by which cocktail glassware is evaluated is the strength of the material . If you are going to purchase a batch of glasses for a bar or cafe, choose tempered glass products with thick walls and a solid stem. For a sophisticated restaurant, crystal is more suitable. Those who often throw parties by the pool or in the country should purchase unbreakable hurricanes made of polycarbonate.

When choosing, also consider the size of the products . A volume of 400-500 ml is considered universal, since cocktails are usually supplemented with a large amount of ice. If you like to decorate your drinks beautifully, check whether the rim is comfortable enough to secure the garnish - fruit slices, berries.

A tropical cocktail needs to stay cold for a long time, so it is important that the glassware is heat-resistant . A good option for beach bars would be double-walled glasses that keep the contents cool for up to 24 hours.

Pay attention also to the manufacturer . To choose truly high-quality and beautiful tableware, look for products from well-known companies, for example:

• Arcoroc is a French brand that produces hurricanes of an original shape, reminiscent of an oriental hookah;
• Durobor is a Belgian manufacturer that offers beautiful and comfortable glasses of different sizes;
• Stolzle is a German company that produces high quality crystal glass products;
• Libbey is a US company that creates tableware with unusual designs;
• Pasabahce is a Turkish brand specializing in tempered glass tableware.

Please note that the price of a good cocktail glass cannot be lower than 500 rubles. Polycarbonate products cost from 2,500 rubles per piece.

What drinks are poured into a glass?

Hurricane is a traditional glassware for serving tiki cocktails - tropical mixtures based on rum. The most popular of them are Pina Colada, Mai Tai and Blue Lagoon. A tall stemmed wine glass emphasizes the impressive look of multi-layered drinks prepared with fruit ice. Cocktails with decorations look beautiful in the Hurricane, for example, the “Black Diamond” with strawberries and a slice of lime or the “Scorpio Cup”, decorated with a slice of orange, a maraschino cherry and a sprig of mint.

A classic serving for a hurricane glass is the Hurricane cocktail of the same name, the authorship of which is attributed to Pat O'Brien. The famous mixture includes seven ingredients:

• white rum – 60 ml;
• dark rum – 60 ml;
• lime juice – 30 ml;
• orange juice – 30 ml;
• passion fruit juice –60 ml;
• sugar syrup – 15 ml;
• grenadine – 15 ml.

All products are mixed in a shaker with ice. The liquid is filtered and poured into a glass one-third filled with ice. Garnish with orange, lime and maraschino cherry slices.

Elegant hurricane glasses are suitable for the original serving of any non-alcoholic drinks, including milkshakes, smoothies, and puff cocktails. You can serve hot chocolate and coffee mixtures in heat-resistant glasses. Thanks to its elegant shape, a “hurricane” glass can replace flute glasses, champagne saucers, and a poco grande glass. The latter option has a similar curved silhouette, but features a taller leg and less volume. Many bars use hurricanes for drinks that are usually served in poco grande - Blue Hawaii, Singapore Sling, Landslide.

If you don’t have flute or coupe glasses at hand, hurricane glasses are filled with champagne-based drinks - “North Pole”, “French 75”, various versions of “Mimosa”.