The Recipe:
Fill a 16 ounce Pint Glass with ice, and then add:
- Gosling’s Ginger Beer, fill about 2/3s of the way to the top, (Joe prefers Barritt’s when available)
- Float a 4 count of Gosling's Black Rum
- 1 count on Canton to fill the glass
- Garnish with a wedge of Lime
Original Recipe by Joe the Bartender, Passage To India Restaurant, Salem, MA
Joe the Bartender's notes: I have two reasons for putting the Dark and Stormy up as the greatest drink in the world... this week. First, because it is the greatest drink in the world... this week. And Second, it allows me to use the word 'eupeptic' in a sentence, as in:
"The Dark and Stormy is the perfect drink to accompany any meal because of its eupeptic qualities."
Now I have that out of my system, back to the drink. The Dark and Stormy is one of the few drinks to my knowledge that has a particular brand as a must-use ingredient. Gosling's has trademarked the name Dark and Stormy™ , so in making one you must use Gosling's Black Seal Rum. I have added Canton to my D&S, as I like the smooth ginger flavor and extra "oomph" it gives.
To my shame as bartender, I had never heard of the D&S until about three years ago when I was in a bar in Gloucester, Massachusetts, and a customer ordered one. I believed at the time that it was a local fisherman's drink,you know, The Perfect Storm , and all that. It wasn't until later investigation that I discovered it was actually the national drink of Bermuda.
I was drawn to the D&S because of the inclusion of ginger beer. Apart from the Moscow Mule, there are not many registered cocktails that have ginger beer as an ingredient.
As a kid growing up in the U.K., ginger beer was always a favorite "soda" of mine.
Ginger beer originated in England some time in the 1700's. The English author, Enid Blyton, in her Famous Five books always had the kids drinking "lashings of ginger beer," when they sat down to one of their feasts. For those of you unfamiliar with Enid Blyton, she was the J.K. Rowling of her time. She wrote the "Famous Five" books between 1943 and 1961. Her gang of four plus dog where upper middle class children always getting into hijinks.
She has been criticized in her writing for, shall we say, not being very "P.C." One criticism is that she had her kids eating an abundant amount of food and drinking these "lashings of ginger beer," when, in fact, England was still under post-WWII food rationing until 1954!
Ginger beer, Gosling Black Rum and Canton. The greatest drink in the world... this week.
Chris the Barfly's notes: Four kids and a dog getting into hijinks? I think I've seen that show!
On the Dark and Stormy, well, first and foremost, you NEED to like ginger to like this drink. That said, if you DO like ginger, you are going to love this drink! The ginger beer is a bit on the sweet side, but the bitter punch of the dark rum, (or "Black Rum" according to Gosling,) totally balances this thing out. But it is the Canton, (a favorite flavor enhancer of Joe's, I have noticed!), that REALLY brings out the flavor of the ginger from that ginger beer.
This is such an easy drink to make, (and make well,) and an incredibly easy cocktail to drink. It is not too strong, not too bitter, and not too sweet, just a tall glass of raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens!
Those Bermudans chose well!
Yes, this Dark and Stormy has lots of Ginger. Granted*, but that is not a bad thing.
(*Sorry. I have a hard time NOT doing that sort of thing! -C.)
Hi Everyone,
ReplyDeleteI need your help this week. I have a costomer of mine who is comming in for her Big 4-O party.
She has asked me to make a special drink for this event. She doesn't like anything too strong, too sweet, too tart, too fruity or creamy. Do you have any suggestions for me?
Tahnks
Joe the Bartender