ginger beer – On My Kitchen Counter https://www.onmykitchencounter.com A collection of the quick and easy recipes created on my kitchen counter, and some of the inspirations behind them. Fri, 05 Mar 2021 14:30:42 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.1.9 https://www.onmykitchencounter.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/cropped-omkc-favicon-square-1-32x32.png ginger beer – On My Kitchen Counter https://www.onmykitchencounter.com 32 32 The calm before the storm cocktail … inspired by the Dark and Stormy https://www.onmykitchencounter.com/2015/08/26/the-calm-before-the-storm-cocktail-inspired-by-the-dark-and-stormy/ https://www.onmykitchencounter.com/2015/08/26/the-calm-before-the-storm-cocktail-inspired-by-the-dark-and-stormy/#respond Wed, 26 Aug 2015 14:00:09 +0000 http://onmykitchencounter.com/?p=1614 Ginger beer + rum = a great way to celebrate Caribbean Food Week, or even just the summer! ]]>

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.

dark and stormy cocktail

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.

dark and stormy inspired cocktail recipe

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”.

dark and stormy inspired cocktail recipe

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.

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