The history of the Dark and Stormy Tiki Cocktail  , and yes there has to be a history for any classic Tiki drink, goes way back to circa 1860. The Gosling family of Bermuda was busy growing there rum business. In 1806 James Gosling, a recent immigrant to the tiny island of Bermuda started perfecting a recipe for an aged black rum. Over the years the rum he made, sealed with black sealing wax, hence Goslings Black Seal Rum, became very popular. Somewhere around 1860, officers of the royal navy, looking for a cure for sea sickness, started mixing their Black Seal Rum with their supply of Ginger Beer and adding a squeeze of lime juice. We are not too sure if they thought their new drink cured sea sickness but they really liked the way it tasted. An old salt of the time decided that the darkness of the drink reminded him of storm clouds and the name Dark and Stormy has been with us ever since.

Dark and Stormy Tiki Cocktail

2 oz. of Gosling Black Seal Rum  (no substitutes, we will explain shortly)

4 oz. high quality Ginger Beer

1/2 oz. fresh lime juice.

Fill glass with ice, add lime juice and ginger beer, float the rum on top to give your Dark and Stormy the look of menacing storm clouds. That’s the way they did if oh so long ago.

The Gosling law suite

It seems that the Gosling family is very protective of the cocktail that was developed so many years ago. They brought a major law suite against a company that dared post a recipe for a drink they called a Dark and Stormy. The problem is that they had the nerve to suggest using a rum that was not Gosling Black Seal Rum. If the Gosling company will prevail in the suite remains to be seen.