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 is the editorial director of Serious Eats, where he leads the site's editorial strategy and oversees everything from recipe development to articles on food science, cooking techniques, and more. He's a former food editor at Food & Wine and has cooked in New York City restaurants.

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Updated March 12, 2025
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

Prep 5 mins
Active 5 mins
Total 5 mins
Serves 1 serving
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Ingredients

  • 2 thin, quarter-size rounds peeled fresh ginger (about 1/8 ounce; 3 g), see note

  • 10 mint leaves, plus a generous bouquet of mint sprigs for garnish

  • 1 teaspoon (5 ml) maple syrup

  • 2 ounces (60 ml) 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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Nutrition Facts (per serving)
266 Calories
1g Fat
36g Carbs
2g Protein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 1
Amount per serving
Calories 266
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 1g 1%
Saturated Fat 0g 1%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 91mg 4%
Total Carbohydrate 36g 13%
Dietary Fiber 1g 2%
Total Sugars 17g
Protein 2g
Vitamin C 0mg 2%
Calcium 25mg 2%
Iron 1mg 8%
Potassium 79mg 2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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