Dark and Stormy
We sure had a lot of dark and stormy weather this week on the East Coast, huh? Sorry. I couldn’t resist. Remember my 30-while-30 list that I worked on last year? One of the items on that list was to decide on a go-to cocktail.
That might seem like a random thing to do in my early 30s, but it really was a necessity that required exploration. You see, I was always a Captain and Coke (with grenadine) kind of girl in college. Except when I was a Bud Light kind of girl.
But throughout college, everyone knew that if we were drinking, I was having Captain and Coke. The cocktail served me well in my 20s. But then something happened. Call it growing up I suppose, but I lost the taste for my beloved Captain and Coke. In fact, I lost a taste for soda all together for the most part. It’s just too sweet (says the girl with a baking blog).
So once I decided I wasn’t a Captain and Coke girl anymore, I didn’t know what I was. I needed a new go-to cocktail. Something I could order at any bar and know I’d enjoy it. Luckily for me, my good friend Adam had introduced us to the Dark and Stormy. It’s a delicious cocktail made simply of 2 parts ginger beer to 1 park black rum. Add a lime wedge and you’re good to go. This drink reminds me of great friends and great times.
The only reason it didn’t take the title of ultimate go-to cocktail (Hendrick’s and tonic won that title) is because of the Midwest. You see, the wonders of the Dark and Stormy haven’t really made it out there yet. Finding ginger beer in the town my parents live in is a tall order and forget about ordering one at a bar…
One Year Ago: Raspberry Cream Cheese Stuffed French Toast and Strawberry Soda
Two Years Ago: White Chocolate Cranberry Mousse and Boogity
Three Years Ago: Pumpkin White Chocolate Chip Bars and Pumpkin Pecan Pie Candy
Four Years Ago: Pumpkin Pie Dip and Mini Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
Dark and Stormy
Ingredients:
Gosling's black seal rum
ginger beer
lime wedges
ice
Directions:
Fill glass half full with ice.
Pour ginger beer over ice until glass is 2/3 full.
Top with rum.
Garnish with lime wedge
I prefer a 2:1 ratio of ginger beer to rum. Some people prefer close to a 3:1 ratio.
I am Jen the Beantown Baker. Engineer by day and baking maven by night. Hubby serves as my #1 fan and official taste tester. We got hitched back in 2006. Barefoot. In the sand. With the waves crashing behind us. It was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. 
honey and thyme sound like amazing additions! and i had to laugh at 50 granules of yeast 🙂 will definitely have to try this!
beantownbaker — May 23rd, 2013 @ 9:03 pm
Yea, it’s definitely comical. I feel bad for the people who didn’t read the comments to find out that you really shouldn’t try to count out 50 granules of yeast!
This sounds awesome 🙂 I’ll have to pass this recipe on to my husband!
beantownbaker — June 10th, 2013 @ 1:08 pm
It’s seriously so spicy and awesome. I can’t wait to try more flavor combinations.
Hi, I hope I’m not too late to receive a response. I read just about every post on Jeffrey’s blog and I’m a bit confused. Are the given quantities weight or volume (i.e. fluid ounces). I’m used to ml and grams… :-S
Thanks Susan
beantownbaker — September 14th, 2013 @ 1:32 pm
I can’t comment on what is in Jeffrey’s blog. The recipe in this post is referring to liquid ounces.
CAUTION!!! I made my first two bottles this past Monday and followed the instructions exactly. I even purchased the flip top bottles recommended on this site from Amazon. Tonight, after exactly 48 hours, I pulled them out of my kitchen cabinet and placed them in the fridge. Not 10 seconds after I shut the door, I heard a loud pop. Both bottles had exploded in the fridge! There was glass and ginger beer everywhere. My fridge walls are dented from the explosion. If those bottles had been in my hand when they exploded, I would be in the ER right now. I STRONGLY RECOMMEND THAT ANYONE MAKING THIS RECIPE USE PLASTIC BOTTLES. DO NOT TAKE A CHANCE WITH GLASS.
beantownbaker — May 12th, 2014 @ 4:52 pm
Oh wow. Sorry to hear that. I have only made this ginger beer twice and both times I used glass bottles with no issue.
Hey friends!
So how much raw ginger did you end up needing to extract 2 oz of juice?
Also in relation to the glass bottles, you could do this in a glass wine making carboy container with a valve on the top to allow the fermentation a little release. Then transfer to glass bottles and refrigerate to avoid explosion. Check at the wine shops, these materials aren’t too pricey, but can save some disasters!
Thanks!
beantownbaker — September 2nd, 2014 @ 7:01 pm
I really can’t remember how much ginger I needed. It was quite a bit though.
A couple tips for those of you wanting to make this in glass bottles. Use only flip top bottles ( I use a dark green bottle of Trader Joe’s ginger brew- good stuff by the way). Also, during the 48 hours, open the cap a few times which let’s a little bit of the carbonation out (even just every 12 or 16 hours should be enough)Then shake it gently a few times before storing on the fridge. This way, they is much less chance of any explosions.