Dark rum cocktail

Dark 'n' Stormy

Dark rum rolling over fiery ginger.

Classic Easy 3 min
★ 4.4 (141)
Dark 'n' Stormy

Photo: Dark 'N' Stormy by Will Shenton · CC BY-SA 3.0 · All credits

Measures below are multiplied for 6 drinks. Unmeasurable amounts such as “a splash” are left as written.

  • 360 ml Measuring jug A measuring jug: pour to the 360 ml line. Dark rum - Something dark and molasses-heavy - Gosling's, if you can find it
  • 600 ml Measuring jug A measuring jug: pour to the 600 ml line. Ginger beer - A proper fiery one, not a sweetened soft drink
  • 60 ml Jigger One large side (50 ml) of a standard jigger, plus two teaspoons. Lime juice (optional)
  • 6 wedges Lime wedge (optional)

Measured in Millilitres (UK). Sign in to read these in American measures. Print a kitchen card at this size.

What the jigger, the spoons and the jug hold, in millilitres and in fluid ounces, is on the measures reference.

Quick version

  • Fill a highball with ice, pour in the ginger beer, then float the rum on top.

Method

Pitcher (6 drinks)

Pitcher (6 drinks) - about 1.02 l of measured ingredients, before ice and dilution.

Timings and per-glass steps below are written for one drink and are not scaled. A full jug takes longer to chill, so stir or shake until it is properly cold rather than by the clock, and pour over fresh ice one glass at a time.

  1. Fill a highball glass with ice and pour in the ginger beer.
  2. Squeeze in the lime juice if you are using it.
  3. Pour the rum slowly over the back of a spoon so it sits in a dark layer on top of the ginger beer.
  4. Add a lime wedge and hand it over without stirring - the drink mixes itself as it goes.

Serve it

  • Glass
    Highball
  • Garnish
    Lime wedge
  • Base
    Dark rum
  • Volumes in this story are multiplied for the size above, along with the ingredients. Years, ratios and the capacities of glasses and jugs are left as written.

    Dark 'n' Stormy

    Gosling's of Bermuda have been making this since the 1920s, and they are so attached to it that they hold a trademark on the name - which tells you everything about how good it is. The look is the point: dark rum on top, pale ginger beer beneath, like weather coming in over a harbour.

    Getting it right

    The whole drink is ginger beer, so it is worth finding one with real heat in it - the sweet, mellow sort turns this into a rum and ginger ale. Dark rum matters too; a light rum floats but brings nothing. Layering it rather than stirring it is not showing off, it is the recipe: the first sip is spiced spirit and the last is pure fizz, and you get everything in between.

    Tasting notes

    Fiery ginger with molasses and vanilla rolling over the top, sharpened by the lime. It is bracing, refreshing and much stronger than it looks on the way down.

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