ENDANGERED COCKTAIL OF THE MONTH: THE DARK & STORMY

THERE’S NOTHING QUITE LIKE whiling away a lazy summer afternoon on a boat.  For sailors of all stripes, be they Ralph Lauren nautical or legit Navy blues, the Dark & Stormy is a delightful drink. As with so many great classic cocktail recipes, the origins of the Dark & Stormy are foggy.  There was a time when the British Royal Navy allotted a rum ration of 2 ounces a head.  The rum was blended, dark and funky.  Circa 186O, the Goslings family began to manufacture their dark, aged rum in Bermuda.  Around that time, the British Royal Navy added a ginger beer bottling plant to the nearby Royal Naval Dockyard.  Who’s to say why?  It couldn’t have been long before sailors were mixing the two for a bitter, gingery beverage. The concoction is sure to soothe sea-sickness, not to mention that brutal self-inflicted ailment, the hangover.  It’s a great sip to drink on location in a seaside town after a long day at the beach or boating amongst sun-tanned regulars at a salty local watering hole.
Ahoy!

DARK & STORMY
2 ounces of Goslings rum
4 ounces of ginger beer
½ ounce  of lime juice

Build in a Collins glass over ice.
Garnish with a lime wedge.