Dark and Stormy Julep Cocktail (With Ginger and Rum) Recipe

Ginger beer, fresh ginger, aged rum, and maple syrup give this julep variation the rich, sweet, and spicy flavors of a Dark and Stormy.

By
Daniel Gritzer
Daniel Gritzer
Daniel Gritzer
Editorial Director
Daniel joined the Serious Eats culinary team in 2014 and writes recipes, equipment reviews, articles on cooking techniques. Prior to that he was a food editor at Food & Wine magazine, and the staff writer for Time Out New York's restaurant and bars section.
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Updated July 12, 2023
A dark and stormy julep cocktail, served in a silver julep cup, garnished with a large bouquet of mint sprigs.

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

Why It Works

  • Crushed ice chills the drink rapidly and keeps it cold.
  • Freshly muddled ginger plays perfectly with aged rum, while maple syrup is an easy, deeply flavorful sweetener.

A Dark and Stormy is made with Gosling's rum, ginger beer, and lime, so the idea here is to loosely play with those flavors in the format of a mint julep. The result has the rich, round, sweet base flavors of rum and maple syrup, the freshness of the mint, and then that zesty spiciness of ginger, which wakes the whole thing up and pulls the sweetness into focus.

July 2017

Recipe Details

Dark and Stormy Julep Cocktail (With Ginger and Rum) Recipe

Active 5 mins
Total 5 mins
Serves 1 serving

Ingredients

  • 2 thin, quarter-size rounds peeled fresh ginger (about 1/8 ounce; 3g), see note
  • 10 mint leaves, plus a generous bouquet of mint sprigs for garnish
  • 1 teaspoon (5ml) maple syrup
  • 2 ounces (60ml) aged rum
  • Crushed or shaved ice

Directions

  1. In a julep cup or large rocks glass, muddle ginger until it is well crushed and juices are expressed. Add mint leaves and maple syrup and muddle until mint is lightly bruised, then swab the glass's sides with the mint's aromatic oils. Add rum and stir well. Half-fill glass with crushed ice and stir to combine. Fill glass completely with crushed ice and stir until outside of glass frosts. Add more crushed ice, heaping generously, then garnish with sprigs of fresh mint. Serve, adding a short straw if desired so that the fragrance of the mint bouquet will greet the drinker with each sip.

Special Equipment

Muddler, Lewis bag, julep cup or large rocks glass

Notes

To make this drink even spicier, simply add more ginger.

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