Dark 'n' Stormy

A Bermudan classic, a real Dark 'n' Stormy should be made only with Gosling's Black Seal rum. If you can't find it, substitute another dark rum such as Myers's, but don't let your Bermudan friends know you're using Jamaican rum!

This drink is very similar to the Moscow Mule except that the Dark 'n' Stormy has dark rum instead of vodka. Gosling Brothers claims that the drink was invented in Bermuda just after World War I.

History of the Dark 'n' Stormy:

In 1806, the Mercury, a chartered English clipper commandeered by James Gosling managed to avoid Bermuda's fearsome coral reef, steering the ship onto Bermuda's shores after 91 days at sea, their charter having run out.

The Goslings would become one of the most prominent families on the island, entering the rum production business in 1857. Ginger beer, another favorite drink of the British, was also produced on the island, among other places at a factory operated as a subsidiary to the Royal Naval Officer's Club. It didn't take a genius to realize that Gosling's molasses-y Black Seal rum (named for the wax used to seal bottles) was the perfect compliment to the piquant bite of ginger beer. The Dark 'n' Stormy was born.

At Harry's, a popular watering hole and seafood restaurant for Bermuda power players, the Dark 'n' Stormy remains the most frequently ordered cocktail today. "It's the recognized drink for anyone in the boating world," says Cox, owner of the restaurant. "You don't just have to be a sailor. Any true mariner is always happy to cross the rhumb line and have a Dark 'n' Stormy."

Version 1:

2 ounces Gosling's Black Seal rum
6 ounces ginger beer (not ginger ale)
1 lime wedge

In a tall glass filled with ice add 4 – 5 oz of Gosling's Stormy Ginger Beer and top with Gosling's Black Seal Rum. Garnish with a lime wedge.

Version 2, if you can't find ginger beer:

2 oz. dark rum
2 oz. ginger syrup
2 oz. club soda
1 lime wedge

Fill a glass with ice, add first three ingredients and stir. Garnish with lime wedge.