The global novel coronavirus pandemic may have grounded us, but we can still enjoy happy hour. This daily series will provide delicious drink recipes for you to try at home. So call your friends for a virtual sip session and traverse the globe, even if it's only in your mind.
Today's cocktail hails from Bermuda – the Dark and Stormy.
What is it?
A tempest in a teapot? Certainly not! The sweet flavors of this rum-based ginger cocktail need to be shouted about. Indulge in them, rain or shine.
Origins
Sailors have always loved dark rum, and in the 1800s the British Royal Navy even included 2oz of the stuff as part of standard daily rations. So when the Royal Navy’s dockyard on Ireland Island in Bermuda constructed a ginger beer plant around the turn of the 20th century, it was only a matter of time before the two ingredients ended up in a drink together. When they did, the Dark and Stormy was born.
You'll need (serves 1)
4–5fl oz (120–150ml) ginger beer
1½–2fl oz (40–60ml) dark rum
ice
wedge of lime
Method
Step 1: Pour the ginger beer into an ice-filled glass. Follow with dark rum.
Step 2: Garnish your Dark and Stormy with a wedge of lime.
Tasting notes
It shouldn’t come as any surprise that the Dark and Stormy is the national drink of Bermuda – it crushes thirst, puts smiles on faces and slows the pace of life to a pedestrian affair. Thankfully it has a similar effect wherever it is enjoyed, and whatever the weather (though Bermuda shorts are never mandatory).
How much bite your tipple has is up to you, with a wide range of sweetness and spice available in the various brands of ginger beer and dark rum. Just never, ever, make the mistake of trying to mix one with ginger ale, the anemic distant cousin (thrice removed) of the beer variety.