Dark & stormy cocktail

 

Method 1

Ingredients

50ml dark rum

25ml fresh lime juice, plus a wedge to serve

bitters (optional)

5ml sugar syrup (optional)

100ml chilled ginger beer (a good fiery variety)

STEP 1

Put all the ingredients in a Collins or Highball glass over lots of ice, stir gently and garnish with a wedge of lime.

3 TWISTS

Orange mule

Bring a sunburst of citrus to the brooding dark & stormy by making it with two dashes of orange bitters instead. Angostura orange bitters will give the drink more spicy, marmalade notes, while Bitter Truth orange bitters taste much more of freshly-peeled orange zest. Then make the drink as normal and garnish with a lime wedge.

Minty mule

Take inspiration from the mojito and mix up a dark & stormy twist with 50ml dark rum, 25ml lime juice, bitters and ginger beer served over crushed ice, garnished with a wedge of lime and a fragrant sprig of mint (for best results, give the mint a clap between your palms before tucking it into the drink as this will help to release the aromatic oils). Then add two straws and enjoy.

Mexican mule

Tequila really loves ginger and lime and all three come together beautifully in this Mexican twist on the mule. Just make the drink as normal but instead of rum, use a nice lightly-aged reposado tequila like Ocho or Olmeca Altos – it will give the drink a whole new layer of interest.

RECIPE TIPS

SUGAR SYRUP

To make the sugar syrup, dissolve 300g sugar in 150ml water over a low heat. Leave to cool, then bottle.

Method 2

ingredients:

1. Dark rum

2. Ginger beer

3. Lime

4. Ice

Here's a simple recipe to follow:

1. Fill a glass with ice cubes.

2. Squeeze the juice of half a lime over the ice.

3. Pour 2 oz of dark rum over the lime juice and ice.

4. Top off the glass with ginger beer.

5. Give it a quick stir to mix everything together.

6. Garnish with a lime wedge.