Name: Zombie
Total time: 4 min
Cuisine: Cocktail
Ingredients: 30 ml Light gold rum 1-3yo; 20 ml OP high ester aged pot still rum; 15 ml Aged Jamaican rum; 15 ml Falernum liqueur; 45 ml Pineapple juice; 20 ml Lime juice; 10 ml Pink grapefruit juice; 5 ml Grenadine syrup; 2.5 ml Cinnamon syrup; 2.5 ml Passion fruit syrup; 4 dash Absinthe; 1 dash Aromatic bitters; 3 drop Saline solution 4:1; 1&frasl;4 barspoon Xanthan gum (E415)

Ingredients

1 fl oz

Light gold rum (1-3 year old molasses column)

2/3 fl oz

Overproof aged pot still rum (high-ester 4-6 years old)

1/2 fl oz

Jamaican-style aged blended rum with funk

1/2 fl oz

Difford's Falernum liqueur

1 1/2 fl oz

Pineapple juice

2/3 fl oz

Lime juice (freshly squeezed)

1/3 fl oz

Pink grapefruit juice (freshly squeezed)

1/6 fl oz

Monin Grenadine Syrup

1/12 fl oz

Monin Cinnamon Syrup

1/12 fl oz

Monin Passion Fruit Syrup

4 dash

La Fée Parisienne absinthe

1 dash

Angostura Aromatic Bitters

3 drop

Saline solution (20g sea salt to 80g water) or merest pinch of s (optional)

¹⁄₄ barspoon

Xanthan gum (E415) (optional)

How to make

Glass

Prepare

Select and pre-chill a ZOMBIE OR COLLINS GLASS.

Prepare garnish of mint sprigs.

Method

DRY BLEND (without ice) first 13 ingredients on a slow setting and then gradually add Xanthan while continuing to blend.

Add 7oz scoop of crushed ice and BLEND some more.

POUR into chilled glass.

Garnish

Garnish with mint sprigs bouquet.

Flavour Profile

No alcohol

Medium

Boozy

Sweet

Medium

Dry/sour

Health & Nutrition

Alcohol content:

1.9 standard drinks
18.38% alc./vol. (36.77° proof)
26.6 grams of pure alcohol

Review

Powerful funky rum and delicate cinnamon spice, partially tamed by rich fruit and sweetened clove.

Arriving at a definitive Zombie is not straightforward due to Ernest Raymond Beaumont-Gantt (AKA Don The Beachcomber), the originator of this heavily rum-laced fruit punch, changing his recipe over two decades.

Interpretation of his Original 1930s recipe:

BLEND all ingredients with crushed ice and pour into a chilled Collins glass.
- 45ml (1½oz) Aged blended Jamaican rum
- 45ml (1½oz) Gold Puerto Rican-style light rum
- 30ml (1oz) 151-proof Demerara rum
- 22.5ml (¾ml) Lime juice (freshly squeezed)
- 15ml (½oz) Falernum liqueur
- 10ml (⅓oz) Grapefruit juice (freshly squeezed)
- 5ml (spoon) Cinnamon syrup
- 5ml (spoon) Grenadine syrup
- 1 dash Angostura bitters
- 3 dash Absinthe

Over the years, he introduced ingredients such as passion fruit syrup, pineapple juice, maraschino liqueur and brown sugar syrup. And according to Tiki historian Jeff "Beachbum" Berry, the mixing method also changed from blended to shaken.

Interpretation of his 1950s recipe:

SHAKE first all ingredients with ice and strain into glass filled with crushed ice.
- 30ml (1oz) Light white Puerto Rican-style rum
- 30ml (1oz) Gold Puerto Rican-style light rum
- 30ml (1oz) 151-proof Demerara rum
- 30ml (1oz) Passion fruit syrup
- 30ml (1oz) Pineapple juice
- 30ml (1oz) Lemon juice
- 30ml (1oz) Lime juice
- 5ml (spoon) Brown sugar syrup (2:1)
- 1 dash Angostura bitters

My recipe leans heavily on the original recipe published by Jeff Berry in his excellent book Sippin' Safari, which Jeff sourced from the 1937 notebook of Don Beach's waiter Dick Santiago. However, I've added the pineapple juice, which the Beachcomber introduced in later recipes, and reduced the rum to what are still zombifying proportions.

Gallery

Comments & Discussion

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Robert Spain 4 weeks ago

I think it's a nice cocktail, but pineapple dominates way to much even reducing to 1 Oz.

梁文 3 months ago

我想请问一下黄原胶的意义是什么呢

Simon Difford 3 months ago

Xanthan gum is a polysaccharide that stabilises emulsions, helps suspend solid particles, and helps prevent cocktails from separating. You only need a small amount.

trendomexico 3 months ago

It is so difficult to get the overproofed Rum! I only get slightly overproof ones. Nevertheless this is one of the favorites of my fridays open bar at my trend office! I love this difford version.

Rob San 3 months ago

Don Q 151 is pretty commonly available. Smith & Cross 114 is not, where I shop. I use at least .5 oz with any tiki for their flavor. Yummy!

C Ximenes 4 months ago

This isn't close to any of the various spec from the original sources. The rum ratios and styles are off, pink grapefruit wasn't used and the punch version, closest to what is listed here, doesn't have pineapple and has cinnamon syrup. Sippin' Safari has all 3 cannon recipes and the story around them.

Simon Difford 4 months ago

I’m not trying to recreate any of the various original specs that morphed over decades; instead, I’ve created my version, combining elements from each. This is a cocktail I’ve made numerous times at the request of guests at our bar over recent months, but I’ve not experimented with my recipe for some time. Your comment led me to do this and add cinnamon syrup and passion fruit syrup, as well as readdressing the rums and their proportions.

Rob San 3 months ago

I've roasted my own coffee for 30+years and procure very nice home equipment for all coffee types. Coffee snobs are pervasive & annoying.

Obviously, liquor & cocktail snobs are just as pervasive & snarky. I'm sipping your exact cocktail recipe above & loving it. It is not cloyingly sweet, as many/most bar recipes that have given "tiki" a bad name.

Kudos to your research, testing & development... & to your nod to past masters & innovators, Simon!

ida lindquist 5 months ago

I like a zombie but this particular recipe is not for me, too sour and not enough sweetness

Caspian Berggren 9 months ago

I might've used a bit too much absinthe but it was still great. I actually used Cockspur's falernum and it added a very interesting funkiness to it. Overall it's a fun cocktail which can be varied in a million different ways but the basic recipe still works. I'm not going to be making it often but for specific events and stuff I'll definitely be giving it a go.

Johan Ekström 1 year ago

There is no cinnamon in your recipe

Anders Wang 1 year ago

Cinnamon is from falernum

Harry 1 year ago

High levels of effort, but has a great pay off. Tops.

Matthew Mason 1 year ago

Don't forget than xantham gum

Simon Difford 1 year ago

Thanks, Matthew. I've added Xanthan to the recipe.

Rob San 3 months ago

VERY requisite for blended drinks to keep them from separating/layering.

Sally Morgan 2 years ago

Getting a good mix of rums is essential for this but hit the sweet spot and it really sings (as will you - heady stuff!)

Jose Cruz 2 years ago

I said u wouldn't blend any more drinks but i had to give my first zombie the benefit of the doubt, after-all is Don B and not trader Vic. L.O.L. ... okai jest aside great cocktail that can handle the ice ! cheers ;) ... Stiff drink, used RUMFIRE !