The Dark and Stormy cocktail may seem like a very simple drink to make, but like all cocktails it’s also very easy to mess up. There are only three ingredients, but each is equally important.

When it comes to rum, there aren’t too many cocktails more iconic than the old Dark and Stormy recipe. Sailors and seafarers have for long been caught under its curse, taking to the high seas and high-streets for a rum-filled adventure, but the classic drink wasn’t born from the black, bleakness of Britain. In fact, the Dark and Stormy has almost nothing to do with the Gothic writers that made the cocktail iconic. Instead, the colourful concoction has a far more Caribbean history, one that deserves to celebrate.

This is a cocktail easily made for one, or you can scale up at will. Feel free to make it boozier if you like—there are no rules. —Amanda Hesser

Ingredients
1 part dark rum
2 parts ginger beer (whatever kind you like; we prefer Goslings)
Lime wedge, for garnish

Directions

    Fill a glass with ice, crushed or cubed.
    Fill the glass 1/3 full with the rum.
    Top with ginger beer and squeeze in some lime.

The featured spirit in this glass is dark rum. Dark rum is the key to its rich flavor and deep color. You can substitute light or clear rum but then you will not be making a dark and stormy. As for the ginger beer- this is NOT ginger ale. Ginger beer is not beer in the sense of say a lager. It is labeled beer because it is brewed and fermented but is non-alcoholic. It pours up an intense ginger flavor unlike ginger ale, which is a sweet soda that lacks the kick of ginger beer.

Whether you’re a professional bartender or a home mixologist, our selection of Mixology Bartender Kit will definitely interest you. From drink-specific kits that make great gifts to essential bartending mixing kits, we’ve got it all.