Ingredients
- 2 ozAlcohol-Free Rum
- 4 ozGinger beer
- ½ ozLime juice (optional, adds brightness)
- GarnishLime wedge
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How to Make It
- Fill a highball glass with ice.
- Add the Alcohol-Free Rum.
- Top with ginger beer and stir gently.
- Squeeze in lime juice if using, and garnish with a lime wedge.
Why This Works
This drink is a two-ingredient argument for buying good ginger beer. With so little else in the glass, the ginger beer isn't a mixer — it's half the cocktail. You want one with genuine bite, because that peppery heat is what stands in for the rum's burn and keeps the drink from tasting soft.
The alcohol-free rum supplies the 'dark' — molasses depth and a faint caramel weight that sits underneath the ginger's spice. Poured gently over the top, it also creates the drink's signature storm-cloud layer before the first stir.
The optional lime is worth taking seriously. Half an ounce of acid sharpens the ginger, cuts the sweetness, and pulls the whole drink into focus. Without it, a Dark and Stormy is good. With it, it's crisp.
The Alcohol-Free Swap
Alcohol-Free Rum holds its own against bold ginger beer, providing the dark, molasses-forward base that gives this drink its dramatic character.