Dark 'n' Stormy Recipe

Before you start

The Dark 'n' Stormy is a two-ingredient highball from Bermuda: spicy ginger beer topped with a dark, molasses-rich rum that drifts down through the glass like a storm cloud. A squeeze of lime is a common addition, though purists sometimes skip it. The drink is all about contrast: sharp ginger heat against sweet, heavy rum.

The ginger beer makes or breaks it. Look for a spicy, not-too-sweet ginger beer with a real bite; ginger ale is too mild and sugary. Build the drink in the glass rather than shaking it, so it keeps its carbonation and its layered look until you stir.

Ingredients

• 60 ml (2 oz) dark Bermuda-style rum — or another black, molasses-heavy rum
• 120 ml (4 oz) spicy ginger beer — well chilled
• 7–15 ml (¼–½ oz) fresh lime juice — optional
• 1 glass ice cubes
• 1 lime wedge — garnish

Method

1. Fill a highball glass to the top with fresh ice cubes.
2. Squeeze in the lime juice if using it.
3. Pour the ginger beer over the ice, leaving about 3 cm (1 inch) of space at the top.
4. Slowly pour the dark rum over the back of a bar spoon onto the surface so it floats and drifts down through the ginger beer.
5. Garnish with a lime wedge. Serve with a stirrer so the drinker can mix it when ready.

Tips for success

• Keep the ginger beer in the fridge until the moment you pour it; warm soda loses its fizz instantly on ice.
• Taste ginger beers side by side. The good ones taste like fresh ginger root, not candy.
• Pour the rum last to keep the layered look; adding it first makes a muddy brown drink.

Substitutions

Dark rum

Aged Jamaican rum adds funk and fruit; spiced rum makes a sweeter drink with vanilla and clove.

Ginger beer

Make your own by mixing 30 ml strong ginger syrup with 90 ml soda water. Avoid ginger ale, which is too sweet and mild.

Lime juice

Leave it out for the original two-ingredient style, which is sweeter and richer.

Variations

Dark 'n' Stormy with bitters

Add 2 dashes of Angostura bitters on top of the rum float for a spiced aroma.

Troubleshooting

The rum sank immediately

Pour slower and onto the back of a spoon held just above the ginger beer.

It went flat

Use cold, freshly opened ginger beer and stir gently, if at all.

It is too sweet

Add 7 ml more lime juice or switch to a drier, spicier ginger beer.

Storage

Build and serve immediately; carbonation fades quickly once poured. Store opened ginger beer tightly capped in the refrigerator and use it within a day or two.

Safety notes

The 60 ml of rum equals about 1.4 U.S. standard drinks (one standard drink is about 14 g of pure alcohol). Serve only to adults of legal drinking age, and never drink and drive.