This is a simple guide to a tasty cocktail for rainy nights in or riotous nights out:

The Gold and Stormy (a Dark and Stormy without the Dark).

It's not as heavy as the traditional variant, allowing you to get sauced on the beach without feeling terrible. It's also a great drink for entertaining, especially if you don't have the time/energy/equipment to make something complex.

Step 1:

Pictured here is everything you need.

The list is:

Ice

Highball Glass (or whatever is close at hand)

Lime

Ginger Beer (can be spicy or plain)

Golden spiced rum

Step 2:

Put ice in the highball glass, and let the glass chill on counter for five minutes.

Step 3:

Pour in rum. Do 1 or 2 shots. Amount depends on the time of day, and how much you want to function like a human being afterwards. Use own discretion, I don’t judge.

Step 4:

Fill the rest of the glass with ginger beer.

Step 5:

Cut the lime into quarters. Keep one quarter, and put the rest of the lime away. Half the remaining quarter (making an eighth if you want to be a stickler).

Step 6:

Squeeze both pieces into the glass. Throw one rind away, and stick the other into your drink.

Step 7:

If you want to be fancy, you can garnish. Cut a straight piece from one of the quarter limes. Cut a diagonal slit in the flesh, and place gently on the rim of the glass.

Voila! You can pretend you’re holidaying, hiding from tropical storms with drink in hand.

Caution: Watch out for these. They sneak up on you.