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The best Dark and Stormy cocktail recipe!
Jun 7, 2024
In this feature, we're going to show you how to make the perfect Dark and Stormy cocktail recipe along with two mouthwatering variations on the Dark and Stormy (both using Craft Gin Club's Dark & Stormy Cocktail Syrup!).
Each one is as delicious as the next and we can't wait for you to give them a try!
Here, we are also taking you through the story behind why this cocktail is called "Dark & Stormy", "Dark 'n Stormy" or "Dark and Stormy", which type of rum is best to use in this tasty tipple, and so much more...
What is a Dark and Stormy drink made of?
The classic Dark and Stormy cocktail recipe has three key ingredients: rum, ginger beer and fresh lime.
The higher the quality of these three core ingredients the better the finished cocktail, so be sure to check out the top craft rums we have in the Craft Gin Club online shop, here - our experts search far and wide for the best rums in the world!
What does a Dark and Stormy taste like?
The Dark and Stormy cocktail has a rich yet vibrant mix of caramel, spice, and vanilla rum tones met by fiery ginger notes from the ginger beer and fresh citrus flavours from the lime.
Altogether, they give you a cocktail that is bright, refreshing, deep and complex in all of the right places. Delicious!
What is the best rum for a Dark and Stormy cocktail?
We recommend using a dark or spiced rum for Dark and Stormy cocktails.
This is because dark and spiced rum will give the cocktail its iconic darker colour and deep, rich, complex flavour profile.
Those darker rum flavours are the perfect match for the spritely zest of a good ginger beer and the sour, citrusy fragrance of the fresh lime.
What is the difference between a Dark and Stormy and a Moscow Mule?
The Dark and Stormy and the Moscow Mule are made using ginger beer and lime juice, however, the Moscow Mule is vodka-based and the Dark and Stormy is rum-based.
Why is it called a "Dark and Stormy"?
As with many cocktail origin stories, the story behind the Dark and Stormy cocktail is mirky and unconfirmed, however, the leading theory is that the drink gets its name from sailors in the Navy.
They would drink ginger beer to try and combat seasickness. When they began to add rum to the drink the cocktail we know and love today was born.
The Dark and Stormy is said to have been given its name after one sailer quipped that the cocktail has "the colour of a cloud only a fool or a dead man would sail under".
The Bermudan rum distillery called Goslings later trademarked the name "Dark 'n Stormy", dictating that a cocktail can only be called "Dark 'n Stormy" if made with Goslings rum.
It's for this reason that you will see the name written "Dark and Stormy" or "Dark & Stormy" whenever a recipe uses a rum not from the Goslings distillery.
Dark and Stormy cocktail recipe:
Dark and Stormy ingredients and method:
50ml rum, ideally dark or spiced
10ml fresh lime juice
Ginger beer, to top
Fresh lime, to garnish
Add the rum, lime juice, and ginger beer to a glass with ice and stir. Garnish, serve and enjoy!
To create a Dark and Stormy with a two-tone colour effect like in the picture above, add the lime juice and ginger beer to the glass first. Then add dark or spiced rum before garnishing and serving.
Two fantastic Dark and Stormy variations:
1. The easiest Dark and Stormy cocktail recipe:
The experts at Craft Gin Club have made creating Dark and Stormy cocktails at home easier than ever with Craft Gin Club's Dark & Stormy Cocktail Syrup.
This sumptuous cocktail syrup is brimming with caramel, vanilla and ginger flavours that accentuate the rum and ginger beer ingredients in this classic cocktail.
For a delicious take on the Dark and Stormy, all you have to do is mix the syrup, rum and ginger beer and you are good to go.
Here's the recipe...
50ml rum
25ml Craft Gin Club's Dark & Stormy Cocktail Syrup
100ml premium ginger beer
Fresh lime, to garnish
Add the rum, syrup and ginger beer to a glass with lots of ice and stir. Garnish, serve and enjoy!
2. Gin-based Dark and Stormy recipe:
Craft Gin Club's Gin & Stormy is our fun gin-based twist on the classic Dark and Stormy. Swapping the rum for craft gin, and using Craft Gin Club's Dark & Stormy Cocktail Syrup and ginger beer, it's super quick and easy to mix up at home.
Find the full recipe here!
