Dark and Stormy Recipe
Dark rum floats over fiery ginger beer in this two-ingredient Bermudian classic, brightened with a squeeze of fresh lime. It is the easiest great cocktail you can build in a glass, and the one that turns a hot afternoon or a winter fire into an occasion.
Ingredients
- 2 ozdark rum (Gosling's Black Seal or another black rum)
- 4 ozginger beer, chilled
- 0.5 ozfresh lime juice
- 1 wedgelime, for garnish
Garnish
- Lime wedge
- Optional candied ginger skewer
Equipment: Highball glass, jigger, bar spoon, ice, knife and cutting board
Method
- Fill a highball glass to the top with fresh ice cubes and let it sit a moment so the glass chills.
- Pour in the fresh lime juice and then the chilled ginger beer, filling the glass about three quarters of the way.
- Float the dark rum on top by pouring it slowly over the back of a bar spoon so it settles in a dark layer above the ginger beer.
- Stir gently once or twice at the table if you prefer an even mix, or leave the layers for the classic look.
- Garnish with a lime wedge and serve immediately.
About the Dark and Stormy
The Dark and Stormy is one of the few cocktails with a legal footprint: Bermuda’s Gosling Brothers trademarked the drink in the 1930s, and for decades a true Dark and Stormy meant Gosling’s Black Seal rum with ginger beer. The story goes that sailors and locals mixed the dark, molasses-rich rum with locally made ginger beer, and the cloudy, layered look reminded someone of a squall rolling in over the Atlantic. The lime is not traditional in every version, but it lifts the sweetness and keeps the drink from tasting flat.
To nail it, start with very cold ginger beer and plenty of ice, since dilution is the enemy of a two-ingredient drink. Use a real black rum with molasses depth rather than a light rum, and pour it last so it floats. Fresh lime juice, not bottled, makes the difference between a sweet soda and a proper cocktail. Stir only if you want an even color; the layered look is part of the charm.
- Chill the ginger beer and the glass ahead of time; warm ginger beer goes flat fast over ice.
- Use a bar spoon to float the rum slowly, and do not over-stir if you want the signature dark layer.
- A spicier, higher-quality ginger beer makes a noticeably better drink than a sweet, mild one.
- Skip the lime only if your ginger beer is already bright and sharp; otherwise the half ounce is essential.
Get the bottles delivered
Order online for same-day or next-day Long Island delivery, free curbside pickup in Commack, or wine shipping where it is legal (spirits are local delivery and in-store pickup only). You must be 21 or older.
