What’s it all about?
Learn how to make easy, achievable but delicious classic cocktails at home.
Join Simon to explore the history and stories for this unique cocktail: the Dark ‘n Stormy. Perhaps you’ve tasted rum, lime and ginger beer together but that doesn’t mean you’ve had a Dark ‘N Stormy! Come join us to taste and compare ginger beers and even make our own from fresh ginger on the spot.
What will we cover?
- How a British family found itself in Bermuda and established a brand that’s more than 200 years old
- The story behind why the rum is called Black Seal
- The recipe for the legally trademarked (yes you heard right) version of this drink
- How to make the drink look “stormy”
- Explore quality brands of ginger beer
- Make our own ginger beer using raw ginger juice, sugar and soda water
- Compare how different ginger beers perform in a Dark ‘N Stormy
- Some shops that sell speciality ingredients or tools
- Links for further reading and exploration.
What will you need?
Equipment, tools and glassware:
- Small tasting glasses / tumblers or large shot glasses
- Some highball or collins glasses (ideally 300-350ml capacity)
- A bar spoon or something to stir with
- Something to cut and juice limes
- Something to measure liquid such as a jigger, shot glass or measuring spoon
Below are details of the ingredients you need if you wish to make drinks with us:
- Gosling’s Black Seal Rum
- Some spicy ginger beers (choose your own)
- Fresh limes
- Raw fresh ginger juice, sugar and soda water to make your own ginger beer
- Sufficient fresh clean ice cubes
Ingredient notes:
To make the original, authentic and legally trademarked Dark ‘n Stormy, you’ll need to find yourself some Gosling’s Black Seal Rum. It comes in a 700ml bottle at 40% ABV and retails for approx. AUD $70. But plan ahead! Not many stores have it on the shelf but it can be ordered for delivery online.
To make raw fresh ginger juice you can:
- Put a knob of ginger through a juicer
- Buy a shot or two of fresh juice from your local juice store (no more than 8 hours before the class)
- Finely grate the ginger then squeeze the juice through a cloth or fine sieve
- The ginger beer should be noticeably spicy. While Bundaberg ginger beer is universally available, it doesn’t quite match up to other brands for the spiciness needed to balance the rum. Some potential options include:
- CAPI Flamin’ Ginger Beer 250ml glass bottle
- StrangeLove Double Ginger (Lo-Cal Soda) 300ml glass bottle
- Fever-Tree Ginger Beer 200ml and 500ml glass bottle
- The official Gosling’s Stormy Ginger Beer 330ml aluminium can
Who will be teaching?
Simon began adult life disliking alcohol in all forms after repeated unsuccessful attempts to be friends with beer, rum/coke and tequila sunrises. But a chance encounter with a vodka, lime and soda was his gateway drink into a classic daiquiri at the famed cocktail bar Der Raum. Since then Simon become an avid barfly visiting cocktail bars around the world in Europe, America, Asia, NZ and Australia as well as being good friends with gin, rum, whiskey and wheat beers. More recently Simon has been creating at-home cocktail experiences and teaching friends to make tasty drinks all around the world whether it’s a Melbourne balcony, a villa in Tuscany, an apartment in Paris or on a sailing boat in San Francisco Bay.