Dark ’n’ Stormy
A Dark ’n’ Stormy is 60ml of Gosling’s Black Seal rum floated over 100ml of ginger beer in a highball full of ice, with a lime wedge. About 2.4 UK units. Those are the IBA’s measures, and the name is a Gosling Brothers trade mark tied to Black Seal. The Oxford Companion says the drink purportedly originated among British sailors on shore leave in Bermuda after the First World War, though another origin story places it earlier, in the nineteenth century. Gosling’s own page puts ginger beer from a Royal Navy officers’ club with the local Black Seal rum, and a sailor is said to have called the colour that of a cloud only a fool or a dead man would sail under. The Oxford Companion says the Gosling family claimed a trademark for the cocktail’s recipe in 1991 and has repeatedly turned to the US Patent and Trademark Office to protect it, and Gosling’s own page writes the name with the registered symbol. The same build with another dark rum is a rum and ginger beer, and a sound one. The same build with another dark rum is a rum and ginger beer, and a sound one.
Glassware: Highball Glass
Garnish: Lime wedge
Ingredients
60ml
Gosling’s Black Seal at 40% ABV, the rum the trade mark names. Dark and sweet, it sits over the ginger beer as the storm cloud.
100ml
A fiery ginger beer, chilled and poured first. The early drink is said to have used Barritt’s; Gosling’s now makes its own. Any ginger beer with a proper burn works.
Instructions
Fill a highball glass with cubed ice.
Pour in 100ml of chilled ginger beer.
Float the Gosling’s Black Seal on top, pouring it slowly over the back of a barspoon.
Garnish with a lime wedge for the drinker to squeeze, and serve unstirred.
Source: the IBA (IBA specification; method ours). Last checked 10 October 2026.
Expert Tip
Ginger beer goes in before the rum. Cold and full of sugar, it is heavier than the spirit, so rum poured onto it stays on top; rum poured in first just mixes. Let the rum run slowly off the back of a barspoon resting at the surface of the ginger beer. Poured fast, it plunges straight through and the dark layer never forms. Chill the ginger beer and choose one with a real burn. It is the larger part of the drink, and a warm, mild bottle loses its fizz and turns the glass sweet.
Behind the Dark ’n’ Stormy
Flavour Profile
Bermuda After the First World War
The Oxford Companion says the Dark and Stormy purportedly originated among British sailors on shore leave in Bermuda after the First World War, and that another origin story places the date earlier, in the nineteenth century. Gosling’s own page says it began in the ginger beer factory run as a subsidiary of the Royal Naval Officers’ Club, where a splash of Black Seal rum turned out to be what the ginger beer was missing.
The name is said to come from a sailor, who held up the drink and called it the colour of a cloud only a fool or a dead man would sail under. The early drink is said to have used Barritt’s ginger beer; Gosling’s later made its own.
The Trade Mark
The Companion says the Gosling family, which founded Gosling’s in Bermuda in 1806, claimed a trademark for the cocktail’s recipe in 1991 and has repeatedly turned to the US Patent and Trademark Office to protect its claim. Gosling’s own page writes the name “Dark ‘n Stormy” with the registered symbol and one apostrophe. The IBA writes it with two.
Lehrman Beverage Law says Gosling sued Pernod Ricard USA in federal court in Massachusetts on 15 September 2015 over recipes for a “Dark N’ Stormy” made with Malibu Island Spiced Rum, and that in 2009 it went after the rum producer Zaya and sent a cease and desist letter to the blog Inu A Kena. Some recipes for rum and ginger beer avoid the name altogether.
The Float
Build it in order: ice, ginger beer, then rum, let down slowly off a barspoon resting at the surface. Sugar makes cold ginger beer heavier than the spirit, so the rum settles across the top instead of sinking.
That leaves two layers, pale ginger beer under near-black rum. Hand it over unstirred and leave the stirring to whoever drinks it.
Three Ginger Beer Highballs
The Dark ’n’ Stormy beside the Moscow Mule and Storm & Spice, our own drink
Spirit
- Dark ’n’ Stormy (IBA, ours)
- 60ml Gosling’s Black Seal
- Moscow Mule (IBA)
- 45ml vodka
- Storm & Spice (ours)
- 50ml Expedition Spiced Rum
Ginger beer
- Dark ’n’ Stormy (IBA, ours)
- 100ml
- Moscow Mule (IBA)
- 120ml
- Storm & Spice (ours)
- 150ml
Lime
- Dark ’n’ Stormy (IBA, ours)
- Wedge to garnish
- Moscow Mule (IBA)
- 10ml juice, wedge
- Storm & Spice (ours)
- 15ml juice, wedge
Bitters
- Dark ’n’ Stormy (IBA, ours)
- None
- Moscow Mule (IBA)
- None
- Storm & Spice (ours)
- Two dashes Angostura
Build
- Dark ’n’ Stormy (IBA, ours)
- Ginger beer first, rum floated
- Moscow Mule (IBA)
- Stirred once, copper mug
- Storm & Spice (ours)
- Ginger beer first, rum floated
Name
- Dark ’n’ Stormy (IBA, ours)
- Gosling Brothers trade mark
- Moscow Mule (IBA)
- Open
- Storm & Spice (ours)
- Our own
UK units
- Dark ’n’ Stormy (IBA, ours)
- About 2.4
- Moscow Mule (IBA)
- About 1.8
- Storm & Spice (ours)
- About 2.0
| Element | Dark ’n’ Stormy (IBA, ours) | Moscow Mule (IBA) | Storm & Spice (ours) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spirit | 60ml Gosling’s Black Seal | 45ml vodka | 50ml Expedition Spiced Rum |
| Ginger beer | 100ml | 120ml | 150ml |
| Lime | Wedge to garnish | 10ml juice, wedge | 15ml juice, wedge |
| Bitters | None | None | Two dashes Angostura |
| Build | Ginger beer first, rum floated | Stirred once, copper mug | Ginger beer first, rum floated |
| Name | Gosling Brothers trade mark | Open | Our own |
| UK units | About 2.4 | About 1.8 | About 2.0 |
Ginger Beer With Heat
Ginger beer is the larger part of the drink, so it sets the character. A mild, sweet one makes a soft, sugary glass; a fierce one stands up to the weight of the rum. Chill it well, because a warm mixer loses its fizz fast, and the float goes with it.
How to Serve It
Packed with ice, ginger beer first, rum floated, a lime wedge on the rim, unstirred. The drinker stirs it, or does not.
For our own spiced-rum drink on the same frame, make a Storm & Spice; for the vodka drink on the same lines, a Moscow Mule.
Make it at home
The Spirit
Gosling’s Black Seal RumGosling's Black Seal is a black rum from Bermuda at 40% ABV, heavy with molasses and burnt caramel, blended by the Gosling family firm. Gosling’s own site calls it the essential ingredient of its Dark ‘n Stormy ®, and our Dark ’n’ Stormy and Rum Swizzle both use it.
More to explore
Frequently Asked Questions
What is in a Dark ’n’ Stormy?
Does a Dark ’n’ Stormy have to use Gosling’s rum?
Why does the rum float?
Should a Dark ’n’ Stormy be stirred?
Lime wedge or lime juice?
Is Storm & Spice a Dark ’n’ Stormy?
How strong is a Dark ’n’ Stormy?
Sources.
Checked between 18 October and 19 October 2026.
- The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails (Paul Clarke), “Dark and Stormy” (secondary source: dark rum, traditionally Gosling’s Black Seal, and ginger beer; purportedly sailors on shore leave in Bermuda after the First World War, or earlier; the Gosling family claimed a trademark in 1991; the 2015 complaint against Pernod Ricard).
- Goslings, “Dark ’n Stormy” (producer’s recipe page: origin in the ginger beer factory run as a subsidiary to the Royal Naval Officer’s Club; Black Seal Rum added).
- Lehrman Beverage Law (Frank Knizner and Michael Volz), “A Courtroom Cocktail: Gosling Brothers and a Dark, Stormy Message” (named-author law-firm blog: Gosling Brothers, owner of several registered trademarks over DARK ‘N STORMY; the suit against Pernod Ricard USA of 15 September 2015; the 2009 action against Zaya and the letter to the blog Inu A Kena).
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Storm & Spice
Storm & Spice is 50ml of Expedition Spiced Rum floated over 150ml of ginger beer and 15ml of fresh lime juice in a highball full of cubed ice, with two dashes of Angostura on top, a lime wedge and crystallised ginger. About 2.0 UK units from the rum at 40% ABV; the bitters add less than 0.1. It is our spiced-rum answer to the Dark ’n’ Stormy, the Bermudian highball of black rum and ginger beer. Gosling’s own site writes the name Dark ‘n Stormy® with the registered symbol and calls Black Seal Rum its essential ingredient, so this is a different drink on the same frame. A black rum brings weight and dark sugar. Expedition Spiced Rum brings vanilla, cinnamon and clove, which gives the ginger more to catch hold of. The build is the point. Ginger beer goes in first, then the rum is poured slowly over the back of a spoon so it sits dark over the pale ginger. Left layered, the first sips lead with rum. Stirred, the two run together.
Pack Mule
A Pack Mule is 50ml of Expedition Spiced Rum, 20ml of fresh lime juice and 10ml of sugar syrup over ice in a copper mug, lengthened with 100 to 120ml of ginger beer and given one stir, then finished with a lime wheel and a mint sprig. About 2.0 UK units from the rum at 40% ABV. It is our mule. The published spiced rum mule, the Jamaican Mule, is a short drink: 75ml of ginger beer, a quarter-measure of lime and a rich syrup. The Pack Mule takes the same four parts and opens them out, with the lime doubled to 20ml and the ginger beer run long, because Expedition Spiced Rum brings its own sweetness and the vanilla, cinnamon and clove in it want room and acid rather than more sugar. The ginger beer decides most of it. A dry one with real heat suits the rum, and the syrup is set by how sweet the bottle is: the full 10ml for a dry ginger beer, none for a sweet one.
Cuba Libre
A Cuba Libre is 50ml of white rum, 120ml of cola and 10ml of fresh lime juice, built over ice in a highball and stirred once, with the squeezed lime dropped into the glass. About 2.0 UK units. The measures match the IBA’s. The Oxford Companion says Bacardi has long backed the story that an American soldier invented it in Havana in 1898 or 1900, but that the story has no contemporary documentation, and that Coca-Cola was available in Cuba from 1900. Difford’s Guide, following Bacardi’s narrative, cites a sworn affidavit by Fausto Rodriguez, who said he was present in August 1900 when the first one was poured. Given who published it, it is a claim worth weighing rather than a record. The name was the slogan of the Cuban independence movement: free Cuba. The lime is what separates it from a Rum and Coke. Cola is sweet and low in acid, and 10ml of lime gives the drink an edge and a dry finish.
Jamaican Mule
A Jamaican Mule is 50ml of spiced rum, 12.5ml of fresh lime juice and 7.5ml of rich sugar syrup stirred briefly in a copper mug, filled two thirds with cubed ice, topped with 75ml of ginger beer and capped with a crown of crushed ice, with a lime slice and a bouquet of mint. About 2.0 UK units from a rum at 40% ABV. The name says Jamaica. The recipe does not. Difford’s Guide’s recipe calls for spiced rum, not a Jamaican pot-still rum, and we have found no source that names who created or named it. In our view it is the drink most people mean when they ask for a spiced rum mule: a Moscow Mule with the vodka swapped for a rum that already carries vanilla, cinnamon and clove, so the ginger beer meets the spice instead of covering it. It is shorter than it looks. At 75ml the ginger beer is half the glass rather than two thirds, and the lime and rich syrup sit under it as a small sour. Taste the ginger beer first: a dry, hot one wants the full syrup, a sweet one wants none.
Where this one sits
Recipe by Jerry Can Spirits · Updated 19 October 2026