Dark and Stormy Royale
Dark rum, lime and ginger syrup, topped with sparkling wine in a flute. The Dark 'n' Stormy dressed up — the directory's version of a menu name, with champagne doing the ginger beer's work.
Built to the standard modern spec; not yet tested in our kitchen. How we test.
The recipe.
Scaling adjusts quantities only. Prepare shaken drinks in individual portions.
Let’s make a good drink.
Chill a champagne flute.
Add the rum, lime juice and ginger syrup to a shaker.
Fill with ice and shake for 10 seconds.
Strain into the flute, top with chilled sparkling wine and garnish with candied ginger.
A thoughtful finish
- A fresh ginger syrup; the wine brings no spice of its own.
- A dry sparkling wine; the syrup is sweet enough.
- A splash of ginger beer alongside the wine for more spice.
Common mistakes
- Sweet sparkling wine.
- Skipping the ginger syrup, which leaves a rum and champagne.
- Shaking the wine.
A few good questions.
What does a Dark 'n' Stormy Royale taste like?
Molasses rum, lime and fresh ginger under dry, fine bubbles — a Dark 'n' Stormy in a flute.
Is this a classic?
No; it is a menu name for the champagne version, and this is the directory's recipe.
How strong is it?
About 15% — stronger than the ginger-beer original.
Which rum?
A dark molasses rum — Gosling's, Myers's, Cruzan Black Strap.
Variations
- Dark 'n' Stormy — Dark rum and ginger beer.
- Airmail — Rum, lime, honey and champagne.
- Old Cuban — Rum, lime, mint, bitters and champagne.
- Mojito Royale — Rum, lime, mint and champagne.
Where it comes from
c. 2010s · United States
Contested. More than one origin is claimed for this drink. We show the competing accounts rather than pick one.
‘Royale’ is the French bar suffix for a drink topped with champagne, and a Dark ‘n’ Stormy Royale is what bars call the Bermuda highball when the ginger beer gives way to sparkling wine — a 2010s menu idea rather than a fixed recipe. There is no single published recipe under this name; it is a menu name that bars use for a family of drinks, and the version here is the directory’s own, built from the classic it riffs on. Since the ginger beer brought both the fizz and the ginger, the champagne replaces the first and a ginger syrup the second: dark rum with lime and a half-ounce of fresh ginger syrup, shaken, topped with a dry sparkling wine in a flute. It is drier and finer than the original, and stronger. A splash of ginger beer alongside the wine keeps the spice louder.
Sources
- Difford's Guide, Dark 'n' Stormy, 2010 (reference)
- Difford's Guide, Royale cocktails, 2012 (reference)
- Liquor.com, Champagne Cocktails, 2020 (reference)
Strength. About 1.5 US standard drinks at an estimated 15.7% ABV, estimated from the ingredients and technique, not measured. What that means.
A little character in every sip.
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