Best Dark and Stormy Cocktail

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Dark and Stormy – How It Started

Crafted in the Caribbean waters, the Dark and Stormy Cocktail recipe is a born out of necessity. In the region, rum is plentiful and readily available. The abundance of rum has made the Caribbean a favorite amongst travelling sailors. The Dark and Stormy cocktail itself is an embodiment of the cruel sea, and a ravishing recipe that has more than stood the test of time.

The Dark and Stormy cocktail has become a cult highball due to a felicitous combination of its no-fault simplicity and the balance of its headstrong ingredients. Each ingredient is perfectly suited to the common goal of reviving the heat-pummeled spirit. It is simply dark rum — very dark rum — with ginger beer and some fresh lime. The addition of lime juice or lime wedges slashes through the sweetness of both. The drink has its roots in Bermuda, and emigrated up the Atlantic seaboard with the sailing set.

How to Serve

The rum is often served floating on top, mimicking a stormy sky. The first thing any seasoned Dark and Stormy drinker will do, however, is stir it up. It is officially served in a highball glass. However, for those of us who love the drink, any glass will do.

Summer Time is Best

The Dark and Stormy is a refreshing mix of dark rum and ginger beer but spicier! It’s a tall cool summer cocktail with terrific flavor. Add a squeeze or two of lime, and you’ve got a perfect poolside cooler. Wherever I may be, sipping on a Dark and Stormy makes me feel like I’m in the Caribbean.

Dark and Stormy

What makes the Dark and Stormy cocktail so iconic and popular, is the fact that is remarkably easy to make. What’s more, the majority of the ingredients you’ll likely have sitting in the kitchen cupboard already. The Dark and Stormy recipe calls for only three ingredients, albeit with a lot of spice. But don’t be mistaken, like any good cocktail recipe, there are dos and don’ts. No lime juice and no ginger ale, that’s the traditional method, but each to their own.

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Total Time 50 minutes mins

Course Cocktail, Drinks

Cuisine Caribbean

Servings 1 cocktail

Equipment

• Sauce pan
• Pitcher
• highball glass

Ingredients

  

• 5 ozs fresh ginger, peeled and grated (about 1 cup grated ginger)
• 2 allspice berries
• 2 cloves
• 1/2 cup turbinado or dark brown sugar
• Zest of 1 lime plus juice of 2 limes
• 2 cups cups sparkling water
• 2 ozs dark rum
• 1 tsp fresh lime juice
• Lime slices for garnish

Instructions

 

• For the quick ginger beer: In a large saucepan add the grated ginger (along with any juice), allspice berries, cloves, sugar and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, then remove from the heat. Add the lime zest and let steep while it cools, about 30 minutes. Strain into a pitcher and stir in the lime juice. Fill with sparkling water. Serve over ice within one day or use in a dark and stormy cocktail. Makes 5 cups.
• For the dark and stormy: Fill a highball glass halfway with crushed ice. Add the rum and 5 to 6 ounces ginger beer. Top with lime juice, stir and garnish with lime slices. Serve immediately.

Keyword Alcohol, Cocktails, Dark Rum, Ginger, Ginger Beer

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