We can’t talk about the Dark ‘n’ Stormy (mixed drink) without talking about Barritts Bermuda Stone – along with Goslings Black Seal rum, it’s practically a trademarked pairing. But what about Barritts as a drink on its own?
First off, it should be noted I’m sampling the canned version. Barritts does offer a similarly recipe’d bottled version as well… the difference being the sweetener. The can version uses high fructose corn syrup while the bottle version uses cane sugar. The bottle version is a little more rare in my area, but we’ll do a quickie post about it, perhaps comparing and constrasting it, when we get our hands on the bottle variant.
The scent is mild, but somewhat distinct from other ginger beers. One of its ingredients is quillaia bark – while this extract is not unique to Barritts, it is still uncommon. This specific extract stands in contrast to the often-used, yet generic ‘spices’ ingredient in other ginger beers. The carbonation is rather gentle – it didn’t last long enough for its glamour shot. Also, the coloring is caused by an ingredient called neutral cloud – a tasteless agent used to give beverages a sophisticated cloudy look. And this isn’t a bias against the can version – the bottled version also uses neutral cloud.
Bermuda Stone is sweet. It alternates sweetness with some ginger zing with an earthier quillaia bark (I’m presuming that’s what I’m tasting) back to sweetness. The taste experience is not necessary complex; rather it is progressive. While the sweetness can be off-putting to some, it is a truer ginger taste if your alternative is an artificially-flavored ginger ale soft drink.
The remarkable sweetness along with the clouding agent suggests it’s not necessarily a solo drink – that it was specially designed to serve as a base for a mixer – both in flavor and appearance.
A DIFFERENT TASTE
Because my palette is not so perfect, A DIFFERENT TASTE provides an alternate perspective from a guest taster.
“When I took a sip of Barritts, I experienced an initial ginger spice zing, but unfortunately, it was quickly followed by exceedingly strong sweetness. The ginger flavor is a bit earthy, and definitely more noticeable than Canada Dry. But…for my taste, the syrupy sweetness prevented this beverage from being refreshing. I tasted this drink refrigerated, but without ice. I think if I were to try Barritts again, I would want to try it poured over ice.”
-Little Woo
Ingredients
Carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, natural and artificial ginger flavouring, citric acid, neutral cloud, sodium benzoate (preservative), extract of quillaia bark and caramel color