When the days are long and the nights are steamy, it’s time to up your cocktail ante. A summer cocktail must offer two things beyond its ability to pleasantly intoxicate: a respite from the heat and a refreshing flavor profile -- crisp, light on the palate, and never heavy or filling.
Wait. It’s winter, is’t it?
Doesn’t matter. We’ll call this a nostalgic look back at the sultry summer heat now the temps have plummeted.
Image courtesy of The Hooch Life.
Touted as the national drink of Bermuda, the Dark and Stormy is the quintessential summer sipper that owes much of its storied history to nautical tradition. Sailors were given rations of rum, known as a “tot” until 1970 when the practice was formally abolished. The spirit’s association with the Royal Navy began in 1655 when the island of Jamaica came under the control of the crown.
Produced from sugarcane juice or sugarcane byproducts like molasses, rum comes off the still as a clear distillate and is aged in charred white oak barrels for a minimum of one year. Time spent in oak mellows the virgin rum and contributes color and flavor. Islands within the Caribbean have developed their own unique style.
Image courtesy of Russ David on Flickr
The English-speaking islands -- Bermuda, Saint Kitts, and Jamaica, for example -- are known for darker, full-bodied rums typically distilled from molasses. You can expect to find strong caramel overtones and vanilla accents in many of these rums. One of the oldest rum distilleries in the Caribbean is Bermuda’s Gosling Brothers. Originally sold as black rum beginning in 1860 and only available directly from the barrel, Goslings’ distinctive “old rum” is a blend of dark rums and is one of the signature flavors in the famed Dark ‘n’ Stormy.
While many tipplers consider the Dark and Stormy to be a distinctly island cocktail, its roots are firmly rooted in England and naval tradition. Ginger beer is an English invention and was used by the Royal Navy to tame seasickness. William John Barritt established Bermuda’s now-famous Barritt’s Ginger Beer brand in 1874 after first emigrating to the island in 1839. Pairing dark rum and ginger beer may have been a happy accident. Gosling’s dark rum became the preferred choice because it was the most widely available. In fact, the Bermuda distillery trademarked the name Dark ‘n’ Stormy just after World War I when it began distributing its signature black rum as Goslings Black Seal. After its official naming, the Dark ‘n’ Stormy spread along shipping channels by sailors who’d ported in Bermuda.
In the world of cocktail mixology, a trademark-protected drink seems entirely out of place, doesn’t it? Many bartenders pride themselves on adding a creative flourish when reimagining time-honored classic cocktails, but this is an impossibility when it comes to mixing up the Dark ‘n’ Stormy. A Dark ‘n’ Stormy must contain Gosling’s Black Seal. What on the surface seems like a bit of corporate gerrymandering to protect its brand is far more complex, much like the spirit itself.
Gosling’s Black Seal is pitch black, the darkest rum available on the market today. Burnt, charred flavors dominate, setting it apart from other black rums. There just isn’t another rum that tastes quite like Black Seal. When paired with the spicy heat of a well-made ginger beer, the char works exceptionally well -- assertive without being overpowering.
The Recipe
The official Goslings recipe calls for a Collins glass, generous amounts of ice (this is a summer sipper, after all!), and five ounces of ginger beer, the spicier the better.
Two ounces of Black Seal is carefully layered, creating a dramatic visual effect. Properly made, the dark rum floats menacingly over the ginger beer, much like storm clouds over the Bermuda landscape.
When a recipe is so tightly controlled -- and trademarked, where do creative mixologists take license? By law, bars must use Gosling’s Black Seal if they serve a Dark ‘n’ Stormy -- and Gosling’s has fiercely protected their trademark over the years.
The answer rests with the ginger beer. Craft and house-made ginger beers that favor ginger heat over sugary sweetness can make a Dark ‘n’ Stormy really stand out. The spiciness from the ginger compliments the charred notes of the Black Seal for a perfect sipper for sultry summer nights -- or whenever you’re craving an island breeze and sun.
Barritt’s Ginger Beer was long held as part of the trademarked name and recipe, but now the choice lies in the hand of the bar keep.
For the home bartender and cocktail enthusiast, the Goslings trademark of Dark ‘n’ Stormy doesn’t really apply! While I love the classic recipe in all its tasty splendor, there are times when I need a bit more spiced complexity. For those moments, I reach for Kraken Black Rum. There are notes of chocolate, molasses, clove, and allspice in the nose and on the palate, vanilla comes through in the finish. At 94 proof, it’s a lovely sipping rum.
I’m terrible at naming cocktails, so we’ll just call it a Kraken Dark and Stormy.
Image courtesy of The Essential Man
In a tall highball glass, combine with crushed ice:
3-4 ounces ginger beer, like Reed’s Extra Ginger (with the red cap) or Fentiman’s Ginger Beer (a bit more fiery in flavor, made with Chinese ginger).
2 ounces Kraken Spiced Black Rum
Garnish with lime wheel and a julienne of peeled ginger root.
