Dark 'n' Stormy

Okay, I'm swearing you to secrecy here. You can't tell a soul, but I'm breaking the law. Yes, it's true. With nary a traffic ticket, well with 2 traffic tickets, to my name, here I am, out in the open, boldly defying the United States Paten and Trademark Office. According to its trademark, the Dark 'n' Stormy is this & only this combination of ingredients: Goslings Black Seal Rum, ginger beer, preferably the Gosling's variety as well. That's right, Mr. Gosling has cornered the market on this spicy summer drink. Don't get me wrong, Gosling's is a fantastic dark rum. It's "as dark as motor oil and with a distinctively charred flavor — tastes like no other rum, in the way that Campari tastes like no other digestif," but I can't resist the impulse to add a twist of my own; simply rum & ginger beer is just too limiting. Like an army of other bartenders I add a bright squeeze of lime, but what really pushes this drink over the top is fresh grated ginger. Laws be damned, I'm keeping my fresh ginger.

Dark 'n' Stormy, for 1 drink

2 oz. dark rum, such as Gosling's Black Seal Rum

4 oz. ginger beer, such as Reed's Ginger Beer

a few gratings of fresh ginger

1 lime wedge

Fill a highball glass with ice. Pour the ginger beer over the ice. Add the rum. Top off with a few grates of fresh ginger & a lime wedge.

For a little backstory on the drink, check out this New York Times article.