Dark & Stormy: a destiny that is not so dark after all
The story of Dark & Stormy began in the Bermuda archipelago in the 1970s, when a bartender, exhausted by the heat, inadvertently poured rum into a glass of ginger beer, or “ginger beer” in Anglo-Saxon countries where it is widely consumed. The concoction foamed and in its effervescence, formed a dark cloud at the top of the glass. A sailor, leaning on the bar, then compared it to the stormy sky of a stormy evening at sea.
The drink became emblematic of Bermuda . Other Commonwealth countries soon adopted it, including Australia, where it was reportedly introduced by Bermudians during a rugby tournament.
The Dark & Stormy is part of the mule family, a slightly old-fashioned name for cocktails made with ginger beer and lime added to a base liqueur.
A cocktail “married” to Gosling's Black Seal Rum
Invariably, the Dark & Stormy evokes Gosling's Black Seal Rum . This rum designed by the Gosling Rum distillery and awarded the highest distinction by the Beverage Tasting Institute, is the essential ingredient of our cocktail.
In addition to Gosling's Black Seal Rum, the required quantity of which is 4 cl for a glass, you will need:
- ½ lime
- 2 cl lime juice
- 1 cl of cane sugar syrup
- 10 cl of ginger beer
- 5 ice cubes
Half of the lime will be cut into wedges, which will be placed directly in a highball glass. After having crushed them slightly with a pestle, you will have to pour the rum and add the other ingredients, then stir the mixture with a spoon for 8 to 10 seconds before the cocktail is ready to taste.
Unsuspected virtues: an aphrodisiac cocktail
While rum, whose woody taste is embellished with flavors of vanilla, cinnamon, and hazelnut, brings a disturbing touch to the Dark & Stormy, the presence of ginger beer is no stranger to the fact that it is the favorite cocktail for romantic dates. Indeed, ginger, known for centuries for its vasodilatory properties, is frequently prized to optimize male fertility thanks to its compound, gingerol.
Olivier, from the Rhum Attitude team