Dark 'n' stormy
A dark rum and ginger beer highball with trademark disputes.
Mad City Bastard · CC BY-SA 2.0
The Dark 'n' Stormy is a highball cocktail built with dark rum and ginger beer, poured over ice and finished with a lime slice. Lime juice and simple syrup are common additions. It closely resembles a Moscow mule, but swaps vodka for dark rum. The drink is strongly tied to Gosling Brothers, which says it originated in Bermuda shortly after World War I. The original version used Gosling Black Seal rum and Barritt's Ginger Beer, but after their partnership ended, Gosling Brothers began producing its own ginger beer.
Gosling Brothers holds a U.S. trademark on "Dark 'n Stormy" (with one apostrophe) since 1991, while the International Bartenders Association uses two apostrophes. This trademark lets Gosling Brothers prevent any U.S. marketing of a drink under that name—or a confusingly similar one—unless it contains Gosling Black Seal rum. The company has sued or threatened legal action over the mark against Pernod Ricard, Proximo Spirits, Infinium Spirits' Zaya, and a cocktail blog. Because of these threats, some sources use alternative names like "safe harbor" for similar drinks.
Variations include the cider and stormy (dark rum, apple cider, and ginger beer) and the fall dark 'n' stormy (bourbon, apple cider, lemon juice, and ginger beer). Related cocktails include the Hand Grenade, Painkiller, and Sazerac, as well as the buck family of cocktails—a Dark 'n' Stormy with lime juice can also be called a rum buck.
Quick Facts
- Ingredients
- 60 ml Goslings Rum · 100 ml Ginger Beer
- Served
- On the rocks: poured over ice
- Garnish
- Lime wedge
- Prep
- In a highball glass filled with ice pour the ginger beer and top floating with the Rum.
- Drinkware
- Highball glass
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The original Dark 'n' Stormy was made with Gosling Black Seal rum and Barritt's Ginger Beer. After the partnership between the two companies failed and they parted ways, Gosling Brothers created its own ginger beer. Gosling Brothers claims the drink was invented in Bermuda just after World War I.
Gosling Brothers has registered a version of the name that uses one apostrophe ('N), while the International Bartenders Association uses two apostrophes ('N'). In the United States, 'Dark 'n Stormy' has been a registered trademark of Gosling Brothers Ltd since 1991. Gosling Brothers uses this registration to prohibit US marketing of a drink under that name, or a related confusing name, unless it is made with Gosling Black Seal rum.
Gosling's has litigated or threatened litigation over the mark against Pernod Ricard, Proximo Spirits, Infinium Spirits' Zaya, and a cocktail blog. Because of these threats, some sources use other variations on the name, such as 'safe harbor', to offer similar drinks.
Reader's Guide
The Dark 'n' Stormy is significant as a classic highball cocktail with a strong trademark protection history. Its recipe is simple—dark rum and ginger beer—but its name is legally restricted in the United States by Gosling Brothers, which has enforced its trademark since 1991. This has led to litigation against major spirits companies and even a cocktail blog. The drink's legacy includes variations such as the cider and stormy (dark rum, apple cider, ginger beer) and the fall dark 'n' stormy (bourbon, apple cider, lemon juice, ginger beer). It is also related to the buck family of cocktails; a Dark 'n' Stormy with lime juice may be called a rum buck. The trademark dispute has prompted some sources to use alternative names like 'safe harbor' to avoid legal issues.
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