# Dark & Stormy **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 17, 2016, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-stormy/752438 "2016-04-17T03:44:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2016, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-stormy/752438/21 "2016-04-18T16:08:23Z")
> [@NAF1138](#): > > Lots of good rum drinks out there, lots of good drinks with coke. The Cuba Libre is gross (weirdly less gross with diet coke) . I enjoy a Cuba Libre or a Rum and Coke. But my favorite mixer with Coca Cola is cherry-flavored brandy. Surprisingly, however, cherry brandy doesn’t work well. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2016, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-stormy/752438/22 "2016-04-18T16:19:27Z")
. . . This isn’t a Bulwer-Lytton award thread, is it? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2016, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-stormy/752438/23 "2016-04-18T19:36:51Z")
It was a Dark & Stormy cocktail; made with ginger beer and rum - except in California (for it is in that state wherein the OP resides) where the additional ingredients of a thin wedge of lime and two thin wedges of orange are also included. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2016, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-stormy/752438/24 "2016-04-18T19:38:55Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > (for it is in that state wherein the OP resides) Not anymore. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Totenfeier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4bbf92/32.png) [@Totenfeier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Totenfeier)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2016, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-stormy/752438/25 "2016-04-18T19:55:48Z")
To my everlasting shame, I went a couple of rounds with the Kraken awhile back…and lost…so it might _be_ a while before I try this one. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2016, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-stormy/752438/26 "2016-04-18T21:03:00Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > My best **fiend** told me several months ago about a drink called the Dark & Stormy. Typically a Dark & Stormy isn’t a spiced rum drink- just dark rum along the lines of Gosling’s Black Seal or Myers’ Dark, along with ginger beer and an optional slice of lime. IMHO, the drink is better with the lime squeezed into it, and can be done with amber rum or other dark rum styles as well. Bundaberg ginger beer is good, as is Cock & Bull, Blenheim regular, or most other Jamaican style ginger beers. (You’re in California; have you tried a Paloma? It’s kind of the same idea, only blanco tequila and Mexican grapefruit soda) ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2016, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-stormy/752438/27 "2016-04-18T21:36:49Z")
> [@NAF1138](#): > > (rum doesn’t taste good in coke. We need to collectively come together on this as a people) You have missed the point of putting rum in Coke, which is that you don’t taste the rum. ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2016, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-stormy/752438/28 "2016-04-18T21:55:36Z")
> [@bump](#): > > Typically a Dark & Stormy isn’t a spiced rum drink- just dark rum along the lines of Gosling’s Black Seal or Myers’ Dark, along with ginger beer and an optional slice of lime. I think I had a Dark & Stormy for the first time in the early 90s, with Goslings dark rum. I strongly prefer it with dark rum vs spiced rum. For the ginger beer I am partial to Barritt’s, as mentioned above. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2016, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-stormy/752438/29 "2016-04-19T17:19:37Z")
…Dark & Stormy. 4 ice cubes [del]2 thin wedges lime[/del] [del]1 thin wedge orange[/del] _2 slices of fresh ginger_ \<-- shouldn’t be necessary unless your ginger beer is weak [del]45ml The Kraken black spiced rum[/del] Uh uh, not spiced rum, oh no. A nice dark rum: Goslings, or Myers, or Bacardi Select if you can’t find the others. _Bundaberg ginger beer to fill_ Goslings is the traditional. Bundaberg isn’t as bitey as I like. Lots of room for variety though. ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2016, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-stormy/752438/30 "2016-04-19T18:15:23Z")
Completely agree with **AHunter**. Whatever you had wasn’t a proper Dark N Stormy, but may well have been delicious. I’m a confirmed ginger freak, and ginger beer is a different world from ginger ale. Try the real thing, you’ll love it. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2016, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-stormy/752438/31 "2016-04-19T19:00:02Z")
> [@August\_West](#): > > Try the real thing, you’ll love it. Ginger beer, or the cocktail? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2016, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-stormy/752438/32 "2016-04-19T19:32:25Z")
Both. Mount Gay Eclipse, Bundaberg or Reed’s Extra ginger beer and a squeeze of lime. Spiced rum belongs nowhere near this drink. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2016, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-stormy/752438/33 "2016-04-19T19:47:10Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Both. Oh, I already prefer ginger beer. But my preferred brand (Budarim Hot Australian) isn’t available here. Canada Dry ginger ale was all the corner market had. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2016, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-stormy/752438/34 "2016-04-20T04:38:59Z")
My go-to ginger beer for Dark & Stormies is the default Gosling’s which is excellent. But I can heartily recommend any and all of these alternatives: • Blenheim. Especially the ones with the pink caps, the extra hot & gingery version. • Jamaica Ginger Beer, a staple of many NYC delis. • Buffalo Rock Ginger ALE (labeled as such), a southern concoction that despite being designated as ginger ALE will convince you at the first sip. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2016, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-stormy/752438/35 "2016-04-20T19:25:55Z")
The D&S I’ve had was made with 2 oz Sailor Jerry, 3 oz Barritts ginger beer, and .5 oz lime juice. Was quite good. ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2016, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-stormy/752438/36 "2016-04-20T21:15:16Z")
This thread got me to buy some ginger beer when I was at the store today. It’s going to be a Dark and stormy night tonight. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2016, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-stormy/752438/37 "2016-04-21T15:44:12Z")
> [@Hypno-Toad](#): > > The D&S I’ve had was made with 2 oz Sailor Jerry, 3 oz Barritts ginger beer, and .5 oz lime juice. Was quite good. Despite not being in the canonical recipe, the lime juice is what makes the drink for me. That combination of ginger, lime and the rum’s molasses/sugarcane flavor works wonderfully together in a way that just rum and ginger beer don’t. I also like a bit more ginger beer- like a 2:1 ratio to the rum. ---
**Author:** ![Allthegood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c68b51/32.png) [@Allthegood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Allthegood)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2016, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-stormy/752438/38 "2016-04-25T00:02:20Z")
I would just like to point out that dark n stormies, which are made from DARK rum and ginger BEER as above, are not mixed together. You float the rum on top of the ginger beer for a layered effect. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2016, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-stormy/752438/39 "2016-04-25T01:00:14Z")
> [@bump](#): > > I also like a bit more ginger beer- like a 2:1 ratio to the rum. I prefer mine even weaker. Somewhere around 3:1 or 4:1 (I don’t do exact measurements). ---
**Author:** ![Smid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/838e76/32.png) [@Smid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smid)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2016, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-stormy/752438/40 "2016-04-25T08:50:21Z")
I always thought that a dark and stormy contained bitters. So basically dark rum and ginger mixed, which isn’t that dark. Bitters on top to make the dark descend into the drink. But the amount of people here who say its Dark Rum and Ginger poured in a certain order, seems to hold up that I was wrong. Still, not going to change me making it my way. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-stormy/752438.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-stormy/752438.md?page=3)