Storm & Spice
A brooding sky in a glass. The Storm & Spice takes the bones of Bermuda's legendary Dark 'n' Stormy and gives it a warmer, more aromatic soul. Where the original relies on the molasses-heavy depth of Bermudian black rum, this version uses Jerry Can Spirits Expedition Spiced Rum, bringing vanilla, cinnamon, and clove to the party. The spices in the rum do not fight the ginger. They embrace it, creating something that tastes like a storm rolling in over a tropical island at dusk. The original Dark 'n' Stormy was born in Bermuda just after World War I, when British naval officers discovered that their homemade ginger beer, brewed to settle seasick stomachs, tasted considerably better with a splash of the local Gosling's rum. A sailor reportedly held up the drink and remarked it was "the colour of a cloud only a fool or a dead man would sail under." The technique remains unchanged: ginger beer first, rum floated on top to create that ominous two-toned storm cloud effect. Stir it in if you like, but watch the weather roll in first.
Glassware: Highball Glass
Garnish: Lime Wedge and Candied Ginger or a lime wheel on the rim
Ingredients
50ml
The foundation of the drink. Its botanical profile of vanilla, cinnamon, allspice, clove, orange peel, cassia, ginger, agave, and bourbon oak defines the character of the build from the first sip.
150ml
A quality ginger beer with genuine heat and bite. A weak or artificially flavoured ginger beer will be overwhelmed by the rum's own ginger note rather than amplifying it.
15ml
Squeezed immediately before use. The acid cut that keeps the ginger beer and rum from sitting too heavy together.
2 dashes
Dashed over the top of the finished build. Reinforces the clove and cinnamon already present in Expedition Spiced without being incorporated into the body of the drink.
Instructions
Fill a highball glass with cubed ice.
Squeeze the lime juice over the ice.
Pour the ginger beer in first, filling the glass to around two thirds.
Float the Expedition Spiced Rum on top by pouring slowly over the back of a barspoon.
Add two dashes of Angostura bitters on top if desired.
Garnish with a lime wedge and crystallised ginger.
Serve immediately. Stir at the table or let the storm settle first.
Our version
The Dark 'n' Stormy is trademarked by Gosling Brothers and specifies their Black Seal rum, so this is not that drink. We build the same structure on Expedition Spiced Rum, and add two dashes of Angostura over the top to reinforce the clove and cinnamon the maceration already carries.
Source: our own specification. Last checked 8 August 2026.
Expert Tip
Pour the ginger beer first and float the rum last. The float creates the two-toned storm cloud effect that defines the drink visually. The rum sits on top, heavier in flavour, lighter in density than the carbonated ginger beer beneath it. Watch it settle before you stir. Once you stir it in, the spice and ginger integrate fully and the drink becomes more unified. As a float the first sip is rum-forward and the drink evolves as you work through the glass. Both versions are correct. They are just different experiences. Ginger beer, not ginger ale. Ale is sweet and lightly flavoured; beer is fermented, assertive, and carries real heat that builds as you drink. The Storm & Spice needs something with enough backbone to stand alongside Expedition Spiced Rum, and a timid bottle produces a timid drink.
Flavour Profile
Where It Comes From
The Dark 'n' Stormy is one of the few cocktails in the world with a trademark attached to it. Gosling Brothers of Bermuda own the name and the recipe, which specifies their Black Seal rum as the only legitimate base. The history behind it is genuine. After World War I, the Royal Naval Officers' Club in Bermuda was brewing ginger beer on site. Someone added Gosling's rum. The drink spread through the island and eventually through every tiki bar, beach shack, and sailing club in the world.
The Storm & Spice does not claim to be the original. It takes the structure, the technique, and the logic of the drink and applies them to a different rum with a different character. Expedition Spiced Rum brings its own set of flavours to the template. The ginger beer is the same. The result is not.
Why Spiced Rum Works Here
The Dark 'n' Stormy works because dark rum and ginger beer are aligned in character. Both are assertive. Both carry a kind of warmth. The molasses depth of a Bermudian black rum sits alongside the heat of ginger beer without either overpowering the other.
Expedition Spiced Rum adds a third layer to that conversation. Vanilla, cinnamon, clove, and orange peel from the maceration bring complexity that a standard dark rum does not have. The ginger in the beer picks up the clove and cinnamon from the rum rather than simply sitting alongside them. The result is a drink where the spice feels woven in rather than added on top. It tastes like one thing, not two things poured together.
The Float
The technique is straightforward and it matters. Pour the ginger beer first, over ice, filling the glass to about two thirds. Then pour the rum slowly over the back of a barspoon held just above the surface of the ginger beer. The rum floats. The difference in density between the carbonated mixer and the spirit keeps them briefly separated. The top of the drink is dark. The bottom is pale. The transition between them is where the name comes from.
You can drink it as a float or stir it in. As a float, the first sip is rum-forward and the drink evolves as you get further into the glass. Stirred, it is unified from the first sip. Neither approach is wrong. They are different drinks in the same glass.
Ginger Beer, Not Ginger Ale
This distinction is not a matter of preference. Ginger ale is a sweetened, lightly flavoured carbonated drink. Ginger beer is fermented, considerably more assertive, with real ginger heat that builds as you drink. The Storm & Spice requires ginger beer. Ginger ale produces a drink that is sweet and flat in character, where the rum has nothing to push against. Use the fiercest ginger beer you can find. The heat is not a problem. It is the point.
Ice
Fill the glass with ice before you pour. Highball drinks served without enough ice warm quickly and lose their character. Cubed ice is correct here. Crushed ice would dilute the ginger beer too fast and collapse the carbonation. Large cubed ice, a full glass of it, keeps the drink cold and the ginger beer alive from first sip to last.
The Spirit
Jerry Can Spirits Expedition Spiced RumA spiced rum built for balance. Madagascan vanilla leads, with Ceylon cinnamon, ginger and cassia through the middle and bourbon oak on the finish. 40% ABV, designed to work neat, over ice, and across classic and modern cocktails.
Need the Rum?
Pick up a bottle of Expedition Spiced Rum to make this cocktail.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Storm & Spice?
A spiced-rum take on Bermuda’s Dark ’n’ Stormy: Jerry Can Spirits Expedition Spiced Rum over ginger beer and lime, with the rum floated on top. The rum’s vanilla, cinnamon, and clove bring a warmer, more aromatic character.
How does it differ from a Dark ’n’ Stormy?
It takes the structure and technique but not the name: the Dark ’n’ Stormy is trademarked by Gosling Brothers and specifies their Black Seal rum. Storm & Spice applies the same template to Expedition Spiced Rum, so the ginger beer is the same and the result is not.
Ginger beer or ginger ale?
Ginger beer, always. It is fermented, considerably more assertive, with real ginger heat that builds; ginger ale is sweet and lightly flavoured and leaves the rum nothing to push against.
Master the Techniques
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Where this one sits
Recipe by Dan Freeman
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