I know the Trademark folks would say Goslings is the only rum to use in the D+S but I’ve found my favorite to be the Pyrat XO. In the Rum Talk To Me People thread someone said that the Pyrat is aged in Grand Marnier barrels, giving it sort of an orange/citrus flavor which I think works well with the ginger beer and lime.
I tasted a Diplomatico Anejo rum that was like $15 which I thought might’ve good too.
Any other favorites?
Scott
Usually just roll with Goslings, but I’ve found that Mount Gay Extra Old, Pampero Aniversario, and Myers all work pretty well. I had my choice I’d probably still go with the Goslings, a more potent ginger beer than Barritt’s, a lime wedge and a dash of bitters (sacrilege!).
Havana Club 7 year old Añejo
I’ve not tried the Havana Club but will keep an eye out for it.
Jordan – what type of bitters do you use? I’m going to give that a try.
Just had another Dark and Stormy using the El Dorado 12 year. Really good – a bit richer and more molasses-y.
Scott
Drank a great dark and stormy last night at Monkeypod Kitchen in Wailea: maui dark rum, lime, housemade cayenne-ginger beer. The cayenne-ginger beer is genius. Drank several, actually.
I like the idea of the Cayanne. I’d love to brew my own ginger beer – I’ve seen a couple recipes (Chow etc.) but haven’t gotten around to it.
Maybe I’ll just add some Tabasco or Sriracha 
Scott
Kraken.
Found out the recipe used at Monkeypod Kitchen: fresh ginger purée, lemon juice, and honey. And a pinch of cayenne. Not fermented; rather, hit with a dose of nitrous. I’ll try to ferment a batch when I get home. Or use Sodastream if I’m lazy.
I had a line on some cheap Ron Zacapa and that was probably my best combo ever! It’s dried up now so my new substitute is El Dorado 12yr old. Brugal Extra Viejo is another good option.
Since returning home, I’ve been experimenting with rums and ginger beers, and have determined that the addition of a shake each of dried ground ginger and cayenne make are like adding salt to soup. So far, I like 1 part Zaya or Kōloa (dark) Rum, 3-4 parts Bundaberg or Fentimans Ginger Beer, one or two key limes, and a shake or two of dried ginger and cayenne. Pretty good drink.
There was some talk of this in the rum thread at one point, and your ginger beer is just as important.
Bundaberg is Australian and seems to only be available in CA or west coast. I’d love to try it as my Aussie coworker says it’s awesome. Gosling’s is contract-brewed by Pepsi here in the US. I don’t like it because of the HFCS, but they have the ginger spice ratio correct. Barritt’s is contract brewed by Coke. Apparently in CA and some other places you can get the ‘real’ Barritt’s which is made in Bermuda w/cane sugar. The US version in the brown cans is crap, HFCS and no ginger bite. Tyler Rico tells me the ‘real’ Barritt’s is the shizzle.
I’ve been using Reed’s for a long time and I’ve always liked it with a heavier rum like Ron Zacapa or Gosling’s. From a price perspective it also delivers the highest QPR for me, $3.99/4pk is a standard price all around NYC/NNJ. Fentiman’s delivers but is about $8 for a 4pk of 10oz bottles so is a bit pricey. Ginger People is also $8/4pk and Fever Tree is about the same but it’s an 8oz? bottle.
Artisan Elixirs ‘Golden Ginger’ is my current favorite but hard to source here, a couple of Whole Foods have it. If you are in CA I highly suggest giving it a try.
Thanks, Brent. I’ll seek out Golden Ginger. HFCS is horrible stuff, indeed. After I catch up with work, I’m going to experiment with brewing ginger beer; can’t imagine that it is very hard to do.
Mark,
The ‘ginger brew’ is easy, it’s the carbonation part that I have issues with. Usually we do 2lbs ginger, peeled and in the food processor, with 2 stalks of lemongrass, chopped, 8 cups (64oz) water, & 2 cups sugar. I always use turbinado sugar. Heat the water to a boil, add ginger and sugar, turn heat down, simmer 1hr. Take off the heat, let it steep 8-12hrs. You have what effectively is the Artisan Elixirs Golden Ginger base, not carbonated. I’ve always had issues trying to carbonate anything in my Sodastream which already has sugar added. It usually creates a big explosion. In the directions they always say carbonate the water first and then add flavor. I guess you could make the brew so concentrated that 2-4oz added to 6-8oz of seltzer would come out the right strength, but it’s trial and error. It’s definitely cheaper, but the convenience of single serve bottles vs. bulk tends to be the tipper for me. Making ginger brew usually turns into a good 2+hrs of shopping & work, while running into the store to buy a 4pk takes a few minutes.
Thanks again, Brent. After exploding my Sodastream, I would have probably figured out to make concentrate and then added sparkling water, but only after. Meanwhile, I’ll keep adding ginger and cayenne to the sugared ginger beers available in SoCal (Fentimans, Maine Root, Bundaberg). I like the way the addition of more ginger and cayenne cuts the sweetness of the rum. Golden Ginger is available around here, so I’ll give it a try, too.
After experimenting with many different dark rums for the past few years, I’m still convinced that the best in a Dark and Stormy is Ron Anejo Pampero Anniversario from Venezuela. If you track down a bottle, it’s an absolute steal for about $30.
Mark,
FYI, I totally forgot about the 2 stalks of lemon grass which is a key component. I’ve edited my original post with the ginger brew recipe to reflect it.
We served Dark and Stormy’s for Christmas dinner. Although I’ve always used Reed’s, my brother picked up Bundaberg, which was great. Went with the Pyrat, but next time out I’ll try the Pampero.
I’ve seen a lot of people rave about Regatta, but haven’t been able to find it. I’'ll check out the Artisan Elixirs ‘Golden Ginger’ next time we’re at Whole Foods.
Next batch, I’ll try Mark’s cayenne and ground ginger plan.
As an aside, I tried a smidge of Sriracha recently and found it to be pretty horrendous. Wouldn’t recommend it
Scott
Scott,
Regatta is good but no better than some of the other suggestions here. You should certainly give it a try if you haven’t had it yet. One that I used to like but haven’t seen in ages is Old Tyme…anyone seen it lately?
So, for the dried ground ginger, we talking about the stuff I’d get at Penzy’s Spices?
Yes. But freshly grated is better. Dried ground is easier, though, and works quite well.