Let's Have a Drink From Bermuda!

Three years ago, I actually did take a boat to Bermuda. It was on a cruise with my parents, so it was the exact opposite of "getting away from it all." ;-) This cruise came shortly after I started living my life guided by one of my Golden Rules: If Don Draper wouldn't drink it, then I won't drink it. This is how I became the first woman in history to go on a tropical cruise and drink nothing that was decorated with an umbrella. I hope I at least amused the bartenders with my insistence on drinking nothing but Martinis and Old Fashioneds!

We didn't spend a ton of time in Bermuda proper, but we had a couple of days to check it out. My husband was eager to get his hands on The National Drink of Bermuda, the Dark 'N Stormy. I was not eager to get my hands on one, because it contains one of my least favorite beverages, Ginger Beer. Several years ago, you couldn't find a Dark 'N Stormy outside of Bermuda, but now, you can find them several places around Los Angeles. Still, I obviously never had one..... until yesterday, when the Dark 'N Stormy became my Phase 2 in trying to conquer Ginger Beer.

Here's my husband in Bermuda, embracing the local fashion sense.

 Phase 1 was a few weeks ago, when I tried one of my World Famous Moscow Mules. That didn't go so well. The Dark 'N Stormy is basically the same drink as the Moscow Mule, but with one crucial difference: The Dark 'N Stormy mixes black rum with the Ginger Beer and lime, whereas the Moscow Mule uses vodka.

I was filled with trepidation about the Dark 'N Stormy, but you know what? It was pretty good! Sure, there was a little tinge of Ginger Beer Unpleasantness, but it wasn't overwhelming... not like it was with the Moscow Mule. Which makes me need to express something I have said many times: Vodka is Stupid.  While the Black Rum added a lovely flavor to the Dark 'N Stormy, and cut down on the overwhelming Ginger Beer Flavor, the vodka adds nothing to a Moscow Mule but alcohol. Vodka doesn't contribute to the flavor profile of a cocktail. It's only purpose is to intoxicate you. As my father-in-law says, "Vodka is a drink for drunks." And if you people take nothing else away from this blog, please walk away with the consideration that vodka is a boring drink and drinking it more regularly than you drink other kinds of spirits may mean you are a bit of a dullard.

Ah, the pleasure of Dark 'n Stormy.

So, I suppose I like a Dark 'N Stormy enough that, if I find myself in Bermuda again, I would be happy to drink one. When in Hamilton, after all! :-) I'd like to think that even Don Draper would be happy to enjoy a Dark 'N Stormy were he to vacation in Bermuda. And why wouldn't he have vacationed in Bermuda?!?!