The Dark ‘n’ Stormy Is the 3-Ingredient Cocktail Your Summer Needs

Who doesn’t love a simple, three-ingredient cocktail?  Especially when it’s the Dark ‘n’ Stormy, a refreshing sipper perfect for enjoying by the water on a hot day. 

Legend has it the Dark ‘n’ Stormy was invented in the early 1900s on the sun-soaked coasts of Bermuda, shipwreck capital of the world, when a British naval officer mixed Goslings Black Seal Rum with ginger beer. Like many early cocktails, it was intended to be a remedy for some sort of ailment. In the Dark ‘n’ Stormy’s case, it was originally given to sailors who were suffering with seasickness.  

We can’t say for certain whether that actually worked. But further fueling its ocean-soaked legacy, the cocktail supposedly got its name when a fisherman compared the hue of the drink to a “color of a cloud only a fool or dead man would sail under,” according to Goslings.  

This supposed remedy for seasickness clearly captured the attention of land-faring folk as well. After all, we’ve enjoyed it for the better part of a century and it’s a staple on cocktail menus around the world. 

“We always layer the Goslings Blackstrap Rum on top of the cocktail to watch the storm clouds of rums swirl around inside the glass,” says Max Messier, an award-winning bartender and co-founder of New Orleans-based Cocktail & Sons. 

Must all Dark ‘n’ Stormy cocktails be made with Goslings Black Seal Rum? Well, in June of 1980, Goslings trademarked the name “Dark ‘n’ Stormy.” Of course, you can still make it your own by playing around with ingredients. But if you do, Goslings asks it to be sold under a different name.  

“You can make it with any dark rum if you don’t have [Goslings] and the cops aren’t going to come knocking,” says John Capone, Print Managing Editor at Wine Enthusiast. “But if you want to make the traditional version, use Goslings.”