A proper tailgating cocktail must to be easy to make. Wielding a cocktail shaker in a field is both impractical and asinine. Which brings us the two ingredient Dark and Stormy. Billed as the national drink of Bermuda, the Dark and Stormy is suitable on the beach or the hot tailgating temperatures of September. Combining Ginger Beer (which happens to be non-alcoholic) and Dark Rum (quite alcoholic) it provides a breezier and less sweet alternative to the average sorority girl’s Rum and Coke. The purist will insist on Gosling’s Black Seal Rum, whereas I decided to Release the Kraken Rum since I had it around. From what I can tell, people are as territorial about Ginger Beer as they are barbecue. I would suggest something, but really you’re going to end up with whatever you can find at your local high end grocery or liquor store.
Dark and Stormy
2 oz Dark Rum
4 oz Ginger Beer
Add rum and ginger beer to ice filled glass and stir. Garnish with lime. Talk like a pirate.
Tagged as: drink recipes, rum
Like everyone else, I was magnetized by Liam Neeson’s “RELEASE THE KRAKEN” line from the Clash of the Titans trailer. Not magnetized enough to see the movie, but enough to use the quote to incessantly punctuate a moment. And it was with this childish zeal that a bottle of Kraken caught my eye as I wandered down the rum aisle. An “Unleash the Kraken” (copyrights?) advertisement towered above the magnificently designed bottle and I was pretty much sold. From the best I can tell, this dark coffee colored rum debuted sometime last summer or fall. So it was either a heads up move on their part or just convenient timing. Movie connections aside, I decided to give it a try. If your main experience with rum is Bacardi Light or The Cap’n, you should just go ahead and forget all of your preconceived notions. Kraken comes off somewhere between rum and a liqueur like Kahlúa.
I’m currently “releasing the Kraken” on the rocks. Rather tasty with chocoloate, molasses, and vanilla all being present. At 94 proof it also holds it’s own with your standard whiskey. As far as mixing it, I’ve only had it in a Dark and Stormy so far, and it performed admirably. But in general it comes off as a bit of desert drink. Sugary enough by itself to be enjoyed as a nightcap or a postgame celebration. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. I picked up a 1.75L bottle for $24.98 so it’s very reasonably priced. You can see some detailed and beautiful pictures of the packaging thanks to NotCot. The official site has some humerous content and a poorly functioning store locator.
Tagged as: rum
7×7 has written an article about stocking a