Zombie (1934 Recipe) - How to Make the Classic Tiki Cocktail & the History Behind It

Here’s how to make the Zombie Punch, the first famous Tiki drink, the original Don the Beachcomber classic made with Gold Cuban-Style (or Puerto Rican-Style) Rum, Dark Jamaican Rum, 151 Demerara (Guyanese) Rum, Lime Juice, Grapefruit Juice, Cinnamon Syrup, Falernum, Grenadine, Aromatic Bitters and a Mint Sprig for garnish.

This drink was invented in 1934 by Donn Beach, shortly after he created Tiki culture itself with his bar and restaurant, Don the Beachcomber. The drink is certainly strong and its strength became legendary, a legend that Donn readily encouraged. He set a limit as to how many a guest could order and put it right on the menu. It’s main purpose was to generate publicity and it did. Every other tiki bar had to put a drink on the menu with a warning of its deadly potency.

The Zombie was the most popular tiki drink for at least 20 years. It was eventually eclipsed by Trader Vic’s Mai Tai in the mid-1950’s. But you could only get a Zombie at Don the Beachcombers because its ingredients were a secret. In other locations, they just made up something that they called the Zombie, but just about the only thing all of the Zombie Knock-offs had in common was that they were all strong drinks.

The exact origin of the drink is mostly unknown. Donn told two stories about the drink. In one, he spent a long time experimenting with it and that he burned through 3.5 cases of rum trying to perfect it. The other origin story that Donn told was that he just whipped it up on the spot for a guest who came in with a hangover as a sort of exotic version of a Corpse Reviver…which may account for its name.

The rums used in it can be challenging to reproduce at home. Donn’s idea was to create a blend of rums to create a different flavor profile. He wanted the dry, medium body of the Cuban-style rum, the thick, sweet, fruitiness of the Jamaican and the heavy, charred woodiness of the overproof Demerara rum.

Not all 151 rums are created equally. This drink specifically calls for a heavy-bodied Demerara 151, not a Cuban-style 151. You’re really going to want a bottle of Demerara 151 for this drink, but if you’re in a jam and need a Zombie fix, you can try using a lower proof Demerara rum. Just boost the measurement the Demerara Rum up to 1.75 oz (or 50 ml) and keep the other rum measurements the same. Or you can replace all of the rums with 3 oz (or 90 ml) of Plantation OFTD. Neither of those substitutions will be quite the same thing as the original, but it will be better than most drinks that were passed off as Zombies over the years.

Donn insisted on White Grapefruit for this drink. It can be more of a pain to get a hold of than Pink or Red, but again, it’s worth tracking down. If you just can’t get your mitts on it, opt for Pink Grapefruit as it’ll be closer in flavor profile than the Red Grapefruit.

I like making the drink was Don’s Mix. But if you’re not feeling it or think the drink is too tart, use the Smuggler’s Cove recipe, which replaces the Don’s Mix with 0.5 oz of grapefruit juice and 0.5 oz cinnamon syrup. It’s a touch sweeter, but still an excellent Zombie. Okole Maluna!

Recipe:
1 oz (30 ml) 151-proof Demerara (Guyana) Rum
1.5 oz (45 ml) Dark Jamaican Rum
1.5 oz (45 ml) Gold Cuban-Style Rum
0.75 oz (22 ml) Lime Juice
0.5 oz (15 ml) Falernum
0.5 oz (15 ml) Don’s Mix (2 parts Grapefruit Juice, 1 part Cinnamon Syrup)
1 tsp (6 ml) Grenadine
1 dash Absinthe
1 dash Aromatic Bitters
garnish Mint Sprig

Shake with 6 oz (180 ml) of crushed ice. Whack mint on the rim of the Mug/Glass. Pour unstrained into Zombie Mug/Glass. Top with more crushed ice. Garnish with Mint Sprig.

Music:
Surfing Ghouls by Håkan Eriksson
via Epidemic Sound

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Featured in this Episode:

Panamá-Pacific Rum 9-Year
http://bit.ly/2fUSSDr

Hamilton Jamaican Pot Still Black Rum
http://bit.ly/2nEaBl0

Hamilton 151 Demerara (Guyana) Rum
http://bit.ly/2y8fSJA

Ole Dapper Dan Zombie Mug by Pie Eyed Tikis
http://etsy.me/2y8nfAF

Beachbum Berry’s Sippin’ Safari by Jeff “Beachbum” Berry
http://amzn.to/2xYZSa4

Smuggler’s Cove by Martin & Rebecca Cate
http://amzn.to/2pEXt0m

Bar Tools:

Zombie (Chimney) Glass 14 oz/400 ml
http://amzn.to/2fQG0hN

OXO SteeL Double Jigger
http://amzn.to/1Mlqj8z