Happy Caribbean Food Week! Even though the weather in London is far from tropical right now, it’s still a good time to celebrate summer… and any excuse for a cocktail is a good one. I decided to take on the Dark and Stormy, a classic mix of ginger beer and rum, but a little bit different.
I was lucky enough to get some ginger beer (plus a few other goodies) from Grace Foods, and while they were kind enough to send it over, the recipe, and the hardcore research, are all my own.
A little bit of Googling about the Dark and Stormy taught me a few things I hadn’t realized. One… the cocktail name, and its recipe, is actually trademarked in the US, by a rum brand. Two… it’s considered the signature drink of Bermuda. Three… Bermuda is a bit too far away from the Caribbean Sea to actually count as Caribbean, but a lot of people consider it part of it anyway, at least in spirit (no pun intended) and culture.
So instead of taking the traditional route for a Dark & Stormy and using a strong ginger beer and a dark rum, I decided to go for a lighter, sweeter cocktail; the younger sibling, you might say. The color reminds me of the yellow sky just before a summer shower, and it’s such an easy drinking cocktail that I decided to call it “the calm before the storm”.
The Jamaican-style ginger beer from Grace is a less spicy and more gentle ginger beer than others, and for that reason, I decided to match it with a golden añejo (or aged) rum, which is lighter in taste and smoother than the dark rum that’s traditionally used for a dark and stormy.
the calm before the storm
Serves 1
On the Counter
4 oz (115 mL) Grace ginger beer, or another lightly spicy ginger beer
2 oz (55 mL) anejo rum (I used Havana Club Especial, but go wild)
squeeze of fresh lime juice from 1/4 lime
a few cubes of ice
What to Do
Put your ice cubes into a glass, ideally a highball, but use what you’ve got. Next, add in the ginger beer, then top it off with rum:. Squeeze in the lime juice, and give it a quick stir. Garnish with a lime wedge and tiny umbrella, if you have one.
PS: You can follow along with the Caribbean Food week fun on Twitter or Facebook. Also, if you haven’t already spotted me, you can find me at @cmdafonseca.