One Drink, Five Ways: Rum and ginger beer

Double Crown | Dark 'n' Stormy

Design coterie AvroKO's Far East fantasy takes its cues from the empire-building Brits, right down to the cocktail list's venerable Dark 'n' Stormy. The preparation is straightforward—too straightforward. Fat ice chunks are crammed into a highball glass, then drizzled with a heavy-handed measure of aged, amber Pyrat rum. Then the suspenders-clad bartender cracks a label-less bottle of fizzy, house-made ginger beer. Both beverages are placed before us—no garnish, no mixing—and the bartender flits away, leaving us to do his job. We tip him a dollar—and ourselves a buck too. ($12).

Verdict: 4 stars (out of 5). Though the service is lackluster, the lip-tingling cocktail has a lovely, lingering zing and a boozy blast. Best yet, there's ginger beer leftover as a chaser.

Double Crown (316 Bowery, 212-254-0350)