There’s a good reason we are not referring to the Drink of the Week as a “Dark ‘n Stormy®”—we’re using “and” in our drink name because because the “n” version is a registered trademark owned by Gosling’s Brothers Limited, makers of Gosling’s Black Seal Rum. Gosling’s is made in Bermuda where this is their official drink, but it’s actually popular throughout the British Commonwealth.

It’s certainly not a complicated drink by any stretch. The official version requires that you add 1.5 ounces of Gosling’s Black Seal rum to a tall glass of ice and top with their brand of ginger beer. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with doing that. Nothing wrong at all. In fact, this official recipe is both simple and delicious. Even if you can’t get your hands on Gosling’s brand of ginger beer, Reed’s is always available at Trader Joe’s, and others would work just as well, but you want good ginger beer, not ginger ale.

While we are on the subject of substitutions, it’s important to mention that this drink does work best with dark rum. Gosling’s is fine, but you could also use Cruzan Black Strap which has an incredibly rich flavor. Now, if you are a regular reader of Summit Sips, you know that we like to use homemade stuff, and this is the perfect opportunity to pull out that bottle of ginger syrup. With the right combination of individual ingredients, you don’t need ginger beer at all—you can make it as you mix the drink. This version is based on a recipe from Toby Maloney.