Powerful funky rum and delicate cinnamon spice, partially tamed by rich fruit and sweetened clove.
Arriving at a definitive Zombie is not straightforward...
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.
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!