I promise I’ll do my best not to wallow in disappointment over this sewer issue because nothing good comes from belly aching over something completely out of your hands – but feel free to use the name of each weekly cocktail as an indicator of my mood.

With that in mind, this week’s drink is a Dark ‘N Stormy.

It’s an easy drink with just two ingredients – good quality ginger beer* and dark rum. You can add a squeeze of lime if you want, but it’s not necessary.

The proportions are easy – 3 parts ginger beer to 1 part rum. Like the survey of our land or the
placement of a city pipe, these measurements don’t have to be precise. Just eyeball it – you’ll get close enough. If you want a non-alcoholic version of this drink just ditch the rum. A non-alcoholic ginger beer with a splash of either lemon or lime is a fantastic drink on its own…just be sure to splash some of it around on your countertops to mimic the messiness of this home-building situation.

I don’t like ending on a downbeat note, so I will point out that every cloud has its silver lining and today’s silver lining was enjoying this cocktail with Martha and Derek. Good friends and a good drink are a good panacea.

Now go make yourself a Dark ‘N Stormy and let me know if it lifted your gray mood too!

*Not to be confused with ginger ale. Ginger beer is sharper, hotter (spiciness), and less sweet. You need ginger beer for this recipe. Close to 99% of the ginger beer on store shelves is non-alcoholic (Martha recently scored some Crabbie’s Alcoholic Ginger Beer at the Austin Whip In so keep an eye out for it if you want a more potent Dark ‘N Stormy – but know it’s hard to find). My go-to brand is Main Root, but the Fever Tree brand featured in these pictures was a nice (but expensive) substitute. Be warned – there is a lot of crap ginger beer out there. Proceed with caution and only buy the stuff made with real ginger. This drink deserves more than syrupy ginger “flavor.”