A Rum Cocktail Even a Redcoat Would Love

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Photo credit: Food52

In 2011, a chance discovery at an estate near Leeds, England yielded a dozen bottles obscured by a thick layer of muck. A little research (and dusting) revealed that the relics dated to 1780 and contained the most popular spirit of the age: rum.

Just four years after the Revolutionary War—and long before it, too—rum was one of the key commodities that defined the “triangular trade,” a series of routes that connected three key trading regions (most often ports in the New World, Africa, and Europe). ”Eventually rum became the most popular distilled beverage during the colonial era,” according to the The Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink. “It was drunk straight, diluted with water, and used in many beverages, including the flip, the sling, the swizzle, the toddy, punch, and grog—a daily ration of which was long served on American naval ships.”

These days, another rum-based drink warrants mention: the Dark ‘n Stormy, a potent concoction with a spicy kick thanks to the addition of boozy ginger beer.

Though the drink was invented relatively recently, in Bermuda just after World War I, we think our American forefathers would have happily sipped this satisfying cocktail.

Perhaps even a British soldier, too, because nothing brings people together like a good drink.

Dark ‘n Stormy
From Food52
Serves 1

1 part dark rum
2 parts ginger beer (whatever kind you like; we prefer Gosling’s)
Lime wedge for garnish

Fill a glass with ice, crushed or cubed. Fill the glass 1/3 full with the rum. Top with ginger beer and squeeze in some lime.

For more cocktails, visit Food52.