How to Weather the Storm

Nobody asked for Irene to interrupt the end of our summer. But she's here and she's sticking around through the weekend, so we might as well try to manage the best we can.

You have taken all the precautions for your safety and have every eventuality covered, so perhaps the best way to take the edge off is to enjoy a sweet concoction cooked up at Pat O'Brien's, the legendary New Orleans garden bar. It's a drink that has been known to make more than a few people see things, so keep an eye out for flying patio furniture or other oddities during this time. This rum-heavy drink was created to celebrate the end of Prohibition in 1933 by Mr. O'Brien himself. Follow these instructions and take a break from the mayhem:

1 oz. white rum

1 oz. Jamaican dark rum

1 oz. Bacardi® 151 rum

3 oz. orange juice

3 oz. pineapple juice

1/2 oz. grenadine syrup

Combine all ingredients, mix well (shake or stir). Pour over crushed ice and garnish with an orange slice and cherry and sip carefully!

As you savor on one of these potent potables, try to pass the storm with a little Nawlins' flair. Take a break from the Yahtzee or round seven of the Full-contact Charades in favor of a little storm-related word association. Start with some meteorological trivia (Agnes, Floyd and other Hurricane name for $200, Alex), move on to famous or infamous storm-related names (Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, Jerry "Iceman" Butler) and finish up with storm-centric song titles ("Rock You Like a Hurricane," by the Scorpions; "Ridin' The Storm Out," by REO Speedwagon; "Dance to the Storm," by Hothouse Flowers — or combine two categories with Bob Dylan's "Hurricane")

Once you've done all these and you're feeling a bit mellow from the Hurricanes in you glass, settle in for a weather-related film fest ( "Inherit the Wind," the 10-part "Hurricane Express" series from 1932, "Hurricane Season" — ending, of course, with the Dylan/Denzell triple-play of "The Hurricane")

We wish you all the best in this difficult time and hope that all the precautions you've taken will keep you and your loved ones safe and dry. In the meantime, just enjoy this diversion — and send us any names and titles we missed!