It was a dark and stormy night… and so starts the sailor’s tale, whether it be of vengeful ghosts or monster whales. Thus the aptly named “Dark ‘n’ Stormy” cocktail, a favorite of the sailing set from Bermuda to up and along the coast of the eastern states.
It consists of rum and ginger beer, and maybe, just maybe, a splash of lime. But it can’t be just any old rum. Dark rum is a necessity, and if you want to make the drink true and proper, it must be Gosling’s black rum.
The rum is often served floating on top, mimicking a stormy sky. The first thing any seasoned Dark-n-Stormy drinker will do, however, is stir it up. It is also officially served in a highball glass, though for those of us who love the drink, any glass will do.
If you’ve spent any amount of time with me, you’ll know I’m not much of a drinker. (Cheap date!) But I find it very hard to turn down a Dark n Stormy.
I had one for the first time several years ago visiting my friends Ann and Nick in Annisquam, Mass, a village outside of Gloucester, right on the water by Lobster cove. This is a drink for breezy days by the ocean, with sailboats and salty air.
Do you like Dark n Stormy’s? If so, with lime juice or without? (I prefer it with.) And do you have a favorite brand of ginger beer to go with it?
Dark and Stormy Recipe
PrintThe official Dark 'n' Stormy uses only Gosling's black rum. If you don't have Goslings, use a dark rum.
Ingredients
- Ice
- 1/4 lime, cut into two thick slices, one for garnish, one to squeeze over the ice (optional)
- 2 ounces Gosling’s Black Seal Bermuda black rum
- 4 ounces ginger beer (Gosling's makes one just for this purpose)
Method
Fill a tall glass (preferably a highball glass) with ice. If using lime, squeeze a slice over the ice. Add the ginger beer. Top the ginger beer with the rum (for effect) and place a slice of lime on the rim of the glass for a garnish.
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Links:
The Right Stuff (by Law) - All about the Dark and Stormy in the New York Times
The Wikipedia on Dark n Stormy
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Elise Bauer is the founder of Simply Recipes. Elise launched Simply Recipes in 2003 as a way to keep track of her family's recipes, and along the way grew it into one of the most popular cooking websites in the world. Elise is dedicated to helping home cooks be successful in the kitchen. Elise is a graduate of Stanford University, and lives in Sacramento, California.
Dark and Stormy
The only thing missing, in my opinion, is a dash of bitters in the ginger beer before you float the rum.
I made these tonight for a friend’s Oscar party and they were a huge hit! I used Cock ‘n Bull Ginger Beer because it is a favorite of ours but I am sure it would be good with an unfiltered ginger beer as well. Thank you Elise for the great recipe!
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Woo hoo, love me a Dark n Stormy! So glad you liked it Lisa!
I’m drinking a Dark and Stormy right now, made with D&G Jamaican Ginger Beer (my favorite) and The Kraken Black Spiced Rum…yummy-yum.
Ahh love this! May actually have to try some of this one out – it looks like it would be so good! I love love love trying out recipes like this – makes for such a good saturday night! To be honest I’m just a massive sucker for any kind of cocktail learning thing! Ooo cocktail classes are great if anyone has done one before? Honestly though if anyone hasn’t been to one and loves cocktails as much as me – then I’d definitely recommend it! Plus it helps with recipes like these – my cocktail repertoire is probably embarrassingly large now haha. I’ve done lots of them now but my favourite was probably the Rofuto one ( http://rofuto.co.uk/cocktail-bar/masterclasses/ ) but to be fair it was at a sushi restaurant and I am slightly obsessed with sushi so it makes sense that was my favourite I guess haha. Honestly though they are really fun! Still – can’t wait to try this out on Saturday – looks like my boyfriend is going to have to sit through another taste test aha! Thanks for putting this up!
While the variations are fun and interesting, I found this interesting article about what can or cannot be called a Dark & Stormy and how it can be made. I had the pleasure of attending an event where Malcolm Gosling spoke about the history of the drink and the proper way to make it (Ginger beer first, rum floated on top, over ice). http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/05/fashion/05shaken.html?_r=0