Cocktails › Classics › Dark and Stormy
Dark and Stormy
The Bermuda classic that pours like weather rolling in off the water. A Dark and Stormy layers dark rum over lively ginger beer so the first sips lean rich and spiced, then the ginger takes over and the glass finishes bright and cold with a squeeze of fresh lime.
Ingredients
- 2oz (60ml) dark rum
- 4oz (120ml) ginger beer
- 0.5oz (15ml) fresh lime juice
- Plenty of fresh ice
- Lime wedge, for garnish
Method
- Fill a highball glass to the top with fresh ice.
- Pour in the ginger beer and add the fresh lime juice.
- Float the dark rum slowly over the back of a spoon so it pools on top like a dark cloud over the ginger beer.
- Rest the lime wedge on the rim or drop it into the glass.
- Serve at once with the layers showing, and stir gently at the table if you want the rum folded through.
Tip: The ginger beer does the heavy lifting in this glass, so pick a bottle with genuine heat and a dry finish, because a sweet soda style pour turns the whole drink soft. Pour the rum last and pour it slow. The float is more than a look. It lets each sip start with rum and land on ginger, and the drink changes in the glass as the layers fold together.
Zero Proof Version
Want it without the alcohol? Our sister site Mocktail O'Clock pours a Virgin Dark and Stormy.
Serve It With
Our sister site Cooking with Dade pairs it with Instant Pot Jerk Mango Lime Chicken.
Variations
- Stormier Skies. Add two dashes of aromatic bitters and a quarter ounce of extra lime juice. The bitters deepen the spice, the lime sharpens the edges, and the glass drinks bolder from the first sip to the last.
- Tropical Front. Swap the lime juice for fresh pineapple juice and press a small handful of mint leaves gently in the bottom of the glass before you build. The fruit rounds the ginger heat and the mint lifts the finish into warm weather territory.
Questions
What is in a Dark and Stormy?
Dark rum, ginger beer, and fresh lime juice. The ginger beer and the lime go over ice in a highball glass first, then the dark rum floats on top, and a lime wedge finishes the glass.
Why does the rum float on top of a Dark and Stormy?
The float is the signature of the drink. Dark rum poured slowly over the back of a spoon rests on the ginger beer in a dark layer that looks like storm clouds, and each sip pulls rum down into the bright ginger below it.
Does a Dark and Stormy need dark rum?
Yes. Dark rum brings the molasses depth and the warm spice that stand up to bold ginger beer. A white rum reads thin and sharp in this glass, and a spiced rum pushes the drink sweeter than it wants to be.
What ginger beer works best in a Dark and Stormy?
A ginger beer with real heat and a dry finish. The drink has no added sugar, so a fiery bottle keeps the balance lively, while a sweet soda style ginger drink flattens the rum and the lime.
Can I shake a Dark and Stormy instead of building it?
Build it in the glass. Shaking would kill the bubbles in the ginger beer and erase the layered float that gives the drink its name and its look. A gentle stir at the table is all it ever needs.