April 15, 2010 (Day 75) — Ginger Gale
Truth be told, I tend to be wary of assigning specific brands to cocktails. My general fear is that someone reading this blog — or even more likely, someone who has never read this blog but still wants to make cocktails — becomes wed to a certain brand, and when they can’t find it, they feel as if they can’t make the drink.
The vast majority of cocktails aren’t brand specific.
But, then there are those that have to be used. Liquors that have become so synonymous with a specific drink that the cocktail itself derives its name fr0m the brand. Take that base away, and the cocktail doesn’t make a damn lick of sense. Or, the taste of the liquor is so unique that if you were to attempt to make the drink with a substitute you can get the gist, but it’s not quite the same. Tonight’s drink, the Ginger Gale, is one of the latter. It’s made with Gosling’s Black Seal Bermuda Black Rum. And from everything I’ve read, so must it always be.
Great color.
Now, I didn’t start this blog to pimp out liquor. But, much like sports teams and… ummm… something else that people are dedicated to, you tend to find your favorites. I had never tried Black Seal until this evening. And I really wish I had discovered it before. It is excellent, and will most certainly replace the dark rums I used to drink.
Before I make a drink with a liquor I’ve never tried before, I make a point of drinking a small bit out of a cordial glass. It’s not enough to get you smashed before you make your main drink, but it is enough to really give you the flavor of the liquor. And the Black Seal was excellent. The taste of molasses and sugar is very pronounced, as it should be in a dark rum. Impressed with the base, I was eager to make the Ginger Gale.
Ginger Gale:
2 oz Gosling’s Black Seal Bermuda Black Rum
Ginger ale
Fill a highball glass with ice. Pour the rum over the ice.
Deliciousness.
Top with the ginger ale. Stir gently.
Garnish with a lime if you so choose.
With storm clouds in the distance, it seemed only fitting.
This was excellent. I mean really, really excellent.
When I was in college, there was a weekend I had way too much to drink, coupled with food poisoning from some bad crawfish etouffee. My drink of choice that night had been rum and coke, with dark rum. Since then, I’ve been wary of stepping back into the world of dark rums.
Black Seal convinced me to come back. I’m now eagerly looking forward to the Dark and Stormy — Bermuda’s signature drink.
Put this one on your regulars. It is definitely earned a spot among mine.
Cheers!
— Mark
