The Dark & Smarmy

Oh, how I love discovering a new summer-appropriate cocktail, especially when Valley temperatures have nested in the 100 degree-plus range for almost two months. So when a friend threw a themed dinner party complete with a signature cocktail recently (the theme of the party more or less being, 'It's hot as hell out there, so we're staying inside with cold beverages') I was intrigued.

The night's drink was the Dark & Stormy, which I initially misheard as a Dark & Smarmy, which I think makes a fantastic name for a cocktail. The main ingredients of the D&S are ginger beer and dark rum, although after making a few of the drinks, the hostess became convinced that she had either picked up the wrong type of rum or had botched the proportions of each ingredient. Never having had a Dark & Stormy before, I couldn't really weigh in on how it was supposed to taste, but I did enjoy what she had put in front of me. The ginger beer played nicely off the rum, creating an overall flavor that was somehow reminiscent of cola, but lighter and tangier.

Three days later I found the Dark & Stormy on the specialty drink menu at the Palazzo's Cut (a great place for pre-dinner drinks, by the way) and ordered it, happy to compare it to the possibly botched dinner party drink. As it turned out, my hostess had it pretty much right on the money with her cocktail, but there was one big difference between the two versions -- hers was made with Reed's Ginger Beer, while the Cut D&S was made with Barritt's Ginger Beer. The Barritt's by itself is less sweet and more ginger-y and tangy than the Reed's, and gave the Dark & Stormy just a little more spice and bite. The cocktail was refreshing and less syrupy and sweet than it's cousin, the rum and Coke. Since the cocktails at Cut, I've kept my eyes open for Barritt's to bring home. And if some dark rum somehow finds its way into my ginger beer at home, I guess I have the summer heat to thank.