“Darkness and Storm” (the second version of the translation into Russian – “Dark and Brown”) is a carbonated alcoholic cocktail with a strength of 15-16% vol. with notes of cola and ginger in the aftertaste. The drink is popular among yachtsmen. It is believed that the taste of “Darkness and Storm” resembles rum-cola, but in fact the organoleptic properties of this cocktail are richer, and cola is not included at all.
Historical information
The Dark and Storm cocktail was invented by the Gosling brothers in the 1920s in Bermuda. Darkness is symbolized here by dark rum, and storm is symbolized by highly carbonated ginger ale.
According to legend, the sailors Fernand Magellan encouraged themselves with such a drink during the world’s first circumnavigation (1519-1522). But written information about their cocktail was not preserved, because only one ship with 18 crew members returned home (at the beginning of the expedition there were 5 ships and at least 265 sailors), and Magellan himself was killed.
The enterprising Gosling brothers took advantage of the situation and patented a cocktail recipe. Now in the US, only a cocktail made from Gosling Brothers Ltd ingredients: Gosling’s Black Seal Rum and Gosling’s Stormy Ginger Beer can be called Dark ‘n Stormy. The company itself has repeatedly sued other firms and even blogs for unlicensed use of their trademark.
To get around this limitation and mix rum with any manufacturer’s ginger ale, the cocktail became known as “Dark and Stormy” on the English-speaking Internet, and the International Bartenders Association (IBA) included it in its list (“New Era Drinks” category) under the name “Dark ‘ n ‘Stormy “, adding just one apostrophe to the title.
Dark and Tempest became popular among sailing professionals and amateurs after World War I, thanks to the Gosling sponsorship of the Newport to Bermuda sailing race and the America’s Cup regattas. To this day, the cocktail is considered a yachtsmen’s drink.
The classic recipe for the Dark and Storm cocktail
Composition and proportions:
- dark rum – 60 ml;
- ginger ale (beer) – 100 ml;
- lime – for decoration;
- ice.
Any dark rum will do. Not yellow or aged brown, but black, preferably with distinct spice notes. Ginger beer (ale) is a sweet non-alcoholic soda, the English name is “ginger ale”.
In some variations, for a better balance of the sour and sweet parts, 10 ml of lime juice is added to the composition and 80-90 ml of ginger ale is poured in, but there is no lime juice in the classic recipe.
Preparation
1. Fill a tall glass (highball) with ice cubes.
2. Pour in ginger beer, then slowly add dark rum in the center of the glass to get a fuzzy layer.
3. Decorate the finished cocktail with 1-2 thin slices of lime. Can be served with or without a straw.
