The Dark and Stormy is the cocktail I’ve made more times than I can count. It’s definitely my go-to drink when I want a cocktail but I don’t want to think or measure or pour a handful of ingredients. I love cocktails (obvs) but sometimes even I don’t feel like fussing around with extra stuff. Besides a gin & tonic, this may be the easiest cocktail to make. I’d say it’s definitely the tastiest easiest cocktail.

This stupid-simple cocktail is only two ingredients: dark rum & ginger beer. The lime is optional but definitely a great addition. I enjoy my Dark and Stormy both with and without lime– it adds a great fresh element to the drink. But let’s be real– sometimes even cutting up a lime is too much work when I just need want a drink.

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If you haven’t had ginger beer, it’s a non-alcoholic soda with a spicy kick. It’s got a much stronger ginger taste than ginger ale. Technically speaking, this drink can only be called a Dark and Stormy if it uses Gosling Black Seal rum so it’s sometimes referred to as a Safe Harbor. Whatever you want to call it, it’s delicious and so easy to make.

Not all ginger beers are created equal. Some are very light (closer to ginger ale) while others are suupperr strong and spicy. Try out a few brands to see what you like best. I personally tend to prefer a pretty strong ginger flavor, so Bundaberg is my favorite. It was the main ginger beer brand at my grocery store in Reno. However, I can’t find them locally here in Texas so my new love is actually the HEB brand. (Shout out to HEB– ilu!) It packs a surprising punch.

I’ve gotta be honest and say that EVERY time I make a Dark and Stormy, I use spiced rum. It’s not the classic recipe, but I definitely prefer it. Try it with dark rum, spiced rum, or even aged rum and see what you prefer.

I think making it with spiced rum really balances out the spiciness of the ginger beer. Spiced rum is actually referring to the fact that it has a lot of spices in it, like cinnamon and allspice, not that it’s spicy-hot. So really, spiced rum often tastes sweeter than traditional rum. The combo of sweet spiced rum, spicy ginger beer, & tart lime creates a beautiful symphony of flavors for your tastebuds. 👏 A multi-dimensional drink with minimal ingredients? SIGN.ME.UP.

Also, can we talk for a second about this butterfly? It’s a Red Admiral butterfly and we’ve had so many on our property lately. This one would NOT leave me alone while I was drinking my Dark & Stormy outside. It would fly around for a few seconds, land on the railing, fly around again, and then land back on the railing an inch or so from where it was previously. It even landed on my hand! I thought I was gonna explode from pure joy.

What about you– what’s your go-to cocktail when you don’t want to spend any unnecessary time fussing around with ingredients? Let me know in a comment below.

The Ingredients for a Dark and Stormy

• 1 1/2 – 2 oz. dark rum
• ginger beer (I recommend Bundaberg if you can find it!)
• (optional) lime wedge

The How-To

Fill a low-ball glass with ice. Add the rum. Top with ginger beer. Stir to mix. Enjoy the easiest cocktail you’ve ever made.

If you love this cocktail, check out the Sea Monster— it’s got spiced rum, ginger beer, grapefruit juice, and grenadine. Or try making the Moscow Mule or the Irish Mule if you’re feeling the ginger beer.