Sailors and cocktail enthusiasts rejoice, this year June 9* is International Dark ‘n Stormy® Day. This delicious and potent highball was created in an accidental collaborative effort by a family of Bermudian rum makers (you know the Goslings, don’t you) and some seasick sailors. Members of the British Navy stationed on Bermuda in the 1920s brewed ginger beer as a remedy for seasickness. Some intrepid sailors began adding a dash of the Goslings’ locally made Black Seal Rum to the ginger beer, transforming a dizzy-tummy remedy into one of the most popular and widely-recognized cocktails to date. So pour yourself a tall glass of Goslings Stormy Ginger Beer with a topper of Goslings Black Seal Rum and raise a toast to the gifted minds who brought us this liquid masterpiece.
Five Fast Facts:
It has a specific recipe
While mixing other rums with ginger beer might taste good, a cocktail just isn’t a Dark ‘n Stormy® unless it utilizes the unique flavor of Goslings Black Seal Rum®.
Hall of Famer
The Dark ‘n Stormy was awarded #19 on 2020’s list of the World’s Best Selling Cocktails.
The Best Mixer Around
Goslings Stormy Ginger Beer® is the #1 Selling Ginger Beer Brand in the U.S.
The Taste of Bermuda
The Dark ‘n Stormy holds the title of Bermuda’s National Drink.
A Global Phenomenon
Goslings Black Seal Rum is exported to more than 20 countries. Making the Dark ‘n Stormy a truly global cocktail.
History of International Dark 'n Stormy® Day
It was a dark and stormy night…well, it’s more likely that it was a nice and peaceful day in the spring of 1806 when James Gosling — the eldest son of wine and spirit merchant, William Gosling — embarked on a journey from England to America with 10,000 pounds of merchandise. Unfortunately, after 91 days at sea, his charter ran out, so James and his crew decided to head for the nearest port: St. George’s, Bermuda. Instead of moving on from Bermuda to America, he and his brother Ambrose set up shop on King’s Parade Street in 1824. Over the years, the Gosling family perfected their blending technique until they created their unique black rum, originally referred to as “Old Rum” up until World War I. In the early 1900s, they began packaging their rum in repurposed champagne bottles and sealing them shut with black wax. From that moment, the rum became widely referred to as “Black Seal.”
In the 1920s, the family’s rum caught the attention of Royal Naval Officers who were brewing their own ginger beer. They added a hefty splash of the dark rum to their sparkling drink and accidentally created a delicious and iconic cocktail. According to legend, the cocktail got its recognizable name when an old fisherman claimed the drink had the “color of a cloud only a fool or dead man would sail under.” On June 9, 1980, the Gosling family trademarked the cocktail, protecting the integrity of the drink’s recipe the world over, and forever ensuring that a cocktail can only be advertised as an authentic Dark ‘n Stormy® if it contains the key ingredient – Goslings Black Seal Rum®.
