Dark 'n Stormy

Mike, a closer friend and adviser to Third Coastin', was insistent that the trip to Boston be filled with plenty of Dark 'n Stormys (ed note: stormies or stormys?), a drink he said he always had while vacationing in New England with his family. I had never heard of this drink before but if this was what the locals drink then I said I was all for it. So what is a Dark 'n Stormy? The recipe goes more or less as such:

8 oz Ginger Beer
1 oz Dark Rum
lime wedge

A simple drink no doubt. Now, you might ask yourself "ginger beer, dark rum and limes? How are those in any way New England drink ingredients?" And for the most part your instinct would be correct, it's actually a drink that traces its roots to Bermuda, and is more or less considered the official drink of the island territory. So how did it end up in New England? The answer more or less lies in the sailing culture that exists up and down the east coast, and the drink has spread to sailing hot spots along the coast. Even parts of the east coast of Canada are known to enjoy the tropical goodness that is a Dark and Stormy. Seeing as how I grew up in Iowa, it suddenly made perfect sense why I had never heard of a drink that is traditionally tied to the sailing and coastal cultures of the eastern seaboard.

But while it might be a native New England drink, it surely has been adopted by the region. We ordered them at the bar as well as picked up some ingredients to make during a day of sailing as well (check! I have now been sailing). Now try doing this in Chicago and see if they have Ginger beer at the bar or your local grocery store.

On that topic, this was the first time I had ever tried ginger beer. Not Ginger Ale (which I still only drink on flights), though the two both have misleading names considering neither has any alcoholic content. Ginger beer is exactly what it sounds like, it is a sweet carbonated beverage with a strong taste of ginger. Like I said, this isn't Ginger Ale. This tastes like you just took a big bite of the ginger at the sushi restaurant. I would have to assume its a somewhat acquired taste, cause one would have to have a true love of the ginger flavor to be able to take down an entire bottle. But as an ingredient in a drink, with the rum to balance the flavor and the lime to cut the sweetness, you actually have something you can sit back and enjoy.

Overall it's a solid drink, and in fact fit the mood perfectly after our group of travelers gave up on sightseeing after an hour and decided to spend the rest of the afternoon drinking on the deck of bar next to the harbor. Would I order it regularly? Probably not, but much like Mike it will probably be a drink I find myself for in the mood whenever I'm in New England, Bermuda, or on a sailboat.