September 24, 2017

Cornish Shipwreck Cider Cocktail

With apple season in full swing, this Cornish Shipwreck Cider Cocktail is the perfect drink for autumn. Based on the classic Dark and Stormy cocktail its a real crowd pleaser!

A twist on a classic

The Dark and Stormy cocktail is a true classic. On cocktail menus all over the world it is (unofficially) Bermuda’s national drink. It’s named after the colour of the clouds that form over Bermuda’s 200 square miles of coral reef, a stretch of sea which is known for sinking ships.

In 1806, a chartered English clipper called the Mercury commandeered by a man called James Gosling carefully navigated the dangerous coral reef and landed in Bermuda.

The Gosling family set up home and entered the rum production business in the late 1800s. Ginger beer, another favourite drink of the British, was also made on the island. It was only a matter of time before Gosling’s rum was paired with the ginger beer to create this iconic cocktail.

This twist on a classic is made with rum, cider, ginger beer and lime. It's the perfect autumnal drink for when the storm clouds roll in. Get the recipe on Supper in the Suburbs!

Dark Rum

Purists will tell you that a Dark and Stormy HAS to be made with Gosling’s rum. And I’m not hear to argue! Although this is a twist on the classic cocktail if something is worth doing it’s probably worth doing right.

Its not the easiest rum to track down in the UK but as ever Amazon has you covered. If you’re going to make a Bermudan cocktail you might as well make it with Bermudan rum, right?!

Gosling’s Black Seal Rum is award winning and for good reason. This rich and deep rum has notes of butterscotch, vanilla and caramel. It’s sweet but not sickly making it the perfect rum for this cocktail.

Cornish Cider

Seeing as this recipe has a partly British history, I decided to add Cornish Cider to switch things up a bit turning this cocktail into a Cornish Shipwreck!.

Spiking the cider with rum gives it a real kick. The ginger brings a wonderful heat and spice which makes it the ideal cocktail for keeping warm in the autumn. The lime then adds a bit of a zing to lighten things up.

You can use any cider you choose but I recommend Cornish Gold from Healey’s Cider Farm down in Cornwall.

For my US readers, all cider in the UK is “hard cider” but you could make this with non-alcoholic cider if you prefer! The choice is yours.

The recipe