Perfect Storm Highball
Build ∙ 2 min ∙ 15.7% ABV ∙
The Perfect Storm Highball is a built long drink of spiced rum, lime juice, and Angostura bitters topped with ginger beer, served over ice in a highball glass. Spiced rum warmth meets a sharp ginger fizz, with a squeeze of lime keeping the sweetness in check through a crisp, effervescent finish.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Pour all ingredients into the ice-filled glass: Spiced rum 45 mlLime juice 5 mlAngostura aromatic bitters 1 dashGinger beer 75 ml
- Garnish with a lime wedge
Tips
- Build over ice in a pre-chilled glass so the ginger beer stays fizzy rather than flattening on contact with a warm glass.
- Pour the ginger beer last and slowly down the side of the glass to keep its carbonation from blowing off.
- Use fresh lime juice, not bottled — its brightness is what keeps the spiced rum from tasting flat or one-note.
History
The Perfect Storm Highball is a spiced-rum variation on the Dark 'n' Stormy, the Bermudian highball of dark rum and ginger beer built around Gosling's Black Seal rum. Modern drinks references catalog the Perfect Storm Highball as a Mule-style drink, swapping in spiced rum and adding lime juice and a dash of Angostura bitters, which lends the spiced rum's vanilla and spice notes to the classic rum-and-ginger-beer combination. No individual bartender or venue is credited with creating this particular variation; it appears to have developed as a name applied to spiced-rum riffs on the Dark 'n' Stormy served in the same highball format.
FAQ
What is in a Perfect Storm drink?
This Perfect Storm Highball is spiced rum, fresh lime juice, and a dash of Angostura aromatic bitters, topped with ginger beer and built over ice. It is garnished with a lime wedge and served in a highball glass, coming in at about 15.7% ABV.
Is Perfect Storm a cocktail?
Yes, the Perfect Storm is a cocktail: a spiced rum and ginger beer highball built directly over ice, garnished with a lime wedge.
How do you make a Perfect Storm?
Pre-chill a highball glass, then pour the spiced rum, fresh lime juice, and a dash of Angostura bitters over ice before topping with ginger beer. Finish with a lime wedge; there is no shaking or stirring, just a straightforward build in the glass.
How do you make a perfect highball?
A highball is built directly in the glass: fill with ice, add the base spirit, then top with a larger volume of a carbonated mixer. For this Perfect Storm Highball, that means spiced rum, lime juice, and bitters poured over ice and topped with ginger beer, garnished with a lime wedge.
