Cocktail recipe
Hand Grenade
Electric-green melon and pineapple make this French Quarter-inspired cocktail lively, tropical and deceptively strong.
Ingredients
- 30 ml (1 oz) vodka
- 30 ml (1 oz) gin
- 30 ml (1 oz) white rum
- 45 ml (1½ oz) melon liqueur (Midori-style)
- 60 ml (2 oz) pineapple juice
- Garnish: 1 pineapple wedge
Preparation
Fill a shaker two-thirds with cubed ice, then add vodka, gin, rum, melon liqueur and pineapple. Shake briskly until the tin frosts and the juice develops a fine, light foam. Strain over fresh crushed ice in an unbranded tall glass and finish with a pineapple wedge. No grain alcohol or novelty grenade cup.
Glassware
Tall highball glass with crushed ice
History
Pam Fortner and Earl Bernhardt established Tropical Isle in New Orleans during the 1984 World’s Fair period. Its melon-flavoured Hand Grenade became a Bourbon Street signature, with the trademark used in commerce from at least 1987 according to a 2011 federal court decision. The distinctive green grenade-shaped serving vessel was introduced in 1992. The exact commercial formula is secret; Tropical Isle explicitly says the drink and its name are proprietary. This Mixology recipe is an independently developed New Orleans-style interpretation, **not** the authentic Tropical Isle recipe and **not affiliated** with the company. Its name and use in a commercial publication warrant a trademark-law review before publication.
Mixology View
This recipe has enough strength without added grain alcohol. Melon and pineapple should carry the flavour; the original commercial drink’s secret formula is not ours to claim.