The Dark 'n Stormy recipe
for your table
Fill a highball glass with ice cubes.
Pour the ginger beer and, if desired, the lime juice into the glass.
Carefully pour the dark rum over the rounded side of a bar spoon so that it stays floating as a layer on top.
Garnish with a lime wedge and serve with a stirrer.
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The story
The cocktail originated in Bermuda at the end of the nineteenth century, where the Gosling family had been making their black Black Seal rum since 1806 and Royal Navy sailors brewed their own ginger beer. The combination was inevitable. A sailor is said to have described the drink as having the color 'of a cloud that only a fool or a dead man would sail beneath'. A notable detail: Gosling's had the name legally protected. Officially, it is only a Dark 'n Stormy when made with their rum. The sailing world adopted the cocktail as an unofficial finishing drink.
The right glass
The famous storm effect, dark rum floating above light ginger beer, only comes into its own in a clear, tall glass. Choose a 36 to 47 cl highball glass without too much decoration: the color contrast is the show here. A sleek cylindrical shape makes the layering effect sharpest. If you want to serve it in a copper mug, take a look at our Moscow Mule glasses.
Duralex Picardie Highball Glass 36 cl (6 pieces)
Onis Icon Highball Glass 47 cl (6 pieces)
Both sets together € 56,90.
The right tools
For a Dark 'n Stormy, besides the glass, you use a bar spoon for stirring, a jigger for precise measuring, a citrus juicer, and long ice stirrers. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you'll find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glass set (our choice 01) + 4 bar tools together € 74,75.
What do you use to make a Dark 'n Stormy?
For a Dark 'n Stormy, you need the right base. Well-known bottles include Captain Morgan and Don Papa. On each liquor page, you'll find the alcohol percentage, how it tastes, which cocktails it works well in, and which glass you need.
Variations & twists
With golden rum and Angostura, it becomes lighter and more spiced; with a splash of falernum, more tropical. The Stormy Weather, muddled with a slice of fresh ginger, is for true ginger fans. Officially, it calls for Gosling's, but any full-bodied, dark rum with character comes close. Looking for more inspiration? Browse more than 100 cocktail recipes.
Serving tip
Pour the rum slowly over a bar spoon for a clean separation between dark and light. Let your guests stir it themselves. The moment when the storm breaks is part of the experience.
Good to know
The ratio of rum to ginger beer
Six centiliters of dark rum to ten centiliters of ginger beer is the standard build, approximately 1 to 1.7. This is deliberately more rum-forward than a Moscow Mule, because the ginger should support the molasses, not overpower it. In a 36 cl highball glass with plenty of ice, this comes to roughly 12 percent alcohol. If you prefer a punchier drink, use 5 cl of rum to 12 cl of ginger beer. The centiliter of lime juice is listed as optional in the recipe, but it noticeably lifts the whole drink by cutting through the sweetness.
Ginger beer or ginger ale
This is the difference between a good and a disappointing Dark 'n Stormy. Ginger beer is brewed or fermented with real ginger root and is sharp, cloudy and quite spicy. Ginger ale is a soft drink with ginger flavor: sweeter, clearer and much milder. With ale, you get a drinkable glass, but the counterpoint to the dark rum disappears. Choose a ginger beer with a noticeable ginger bite and check the sugar content, as some brands contain more than ten grams per hundred milliliters. If it lacks sharpness, press a slice of fresh ginger.
Difference from a Moscow Mule
The two look very similar on paper, but the difference lies in the base and the build. A Moscow Mule uses vodka, lime juice and ginger beer and is stirred thoroughly in a copper mug. The Dark 'n Stormy uses dark rum, which you float over a bar spoon last so that two visible layers form. In terms of flavor, the vodka gives the ginger plenty of room, while the rum provides balance with its molasses and caramel notes. As a result, the Mule is fresher and sharper, while the Dark 'n Stormy is fuller and warmer.
Alcohol-free with 0.0 rum
Without alcohol, this recipe works better than most, precisely because the ginger beer brings so much character. Use 6 cl of alcohol-free dark rum and follow the rest of the recipe, including the centiliter of lime juice. If you don't have 0.0 rum, a mixture of 4 cl strong black tea, 2 cl cane syrup and a few drops of vanilla extract comes surprisingly close to the rum notes. Preserve the layered effect by pouring that dark base just as slowly over the convex side of a spoon as with the original.
The name Dark and Stormy explained
Officially, it is written as Dark 'n Stormy, with the standalone n meaning and. If you search for Dark and Stormy cocktail, Dark n Stormy cocktail without an apostrophe, or Dark en Stormy cocktail using the Dutch word for and, you will always end up at the same glass; the short form Dark Stormy also appears. The name refers to the appearance: the dark rum remains like a storm cloud above the light ginger beer. You only get that effect if the rum goes in last and you do not stir afterward.
Which dark rum to choose
Gosling's Black Seal is the rum associated with the protected name, but at home any full-bodied, dark rum with molasses and caramel notes works. Note the difference from spiced rum: vanilla and cinnamon compete with the ginger bite instead of supporting it. White rum disappears completely behind the ginger beer and also produces no visible layer because the color contrast is missing. Choose a bottle at around forty percent ABV and pour it cold; six centiliters holds up perfectly against ten centiliters of ginger beer.
Frequently asked questions
What is in a Dark 'n Stormy?
Dark rum and ginger beer, in this recipe 6 cl rum to 10 cl ginger beer, with optional 1 cl fresh lime juice and a lime wedge. Pour the rum last over the rounded side of a bar spoon so it remains floating as a dark layer above the ginger beer.
What is the ratio of rum to ginger beer?
About one part rum to one and a half to two parts ginger beer, here 6 cl to 10 cl. More ginger beer makes it fresher and spicier, while less makes it heavier. Use real ginger beer, not ginger ale, otherwise the cocktail completely lacks its ginger bite.
What is the difference from a Moscow Mule?
Both contain ginger beer and lime, but a Moscow Mule is made with vodka and served in a copper mug. The Dark 'n Stormy uses dark rum and owes its name to the visible layering effect, which only comes into its own in a clear glass.
Which glass do you serve a Dark 'n Stormy in?
In a clear long drink glass with a capacity of 36 to 47 cl and a sleek cylindrical shape. Only then can you see the dark rum floating above the light ginger beer, and that contrast is the whole show. Choose a glass without heavy decoration: see our long drink glasses.
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