Zombie

Where Did the Cocktail Come From?

Also called the skull-puncher, the Zombie is a cocktail that consists of various rums, liqueurs and fruit juices. Named for its apparent effects upon the one who drinks it, the Zombie was introduced in the late 1930s. Invented by Donn Beach, owner of a restaurant in Hollywood named Don the Beachcomber, the drink gained immense fame after its appearance at the 1939 New York World's Fair.

Legend says that Beach originally made the drink to help a customer suffering from a hang-over get through his business meeting. The customer returned a few days later to say that he’d been transformed into a zombie for his whole trip. The Zombie’s smooth, fruity taste conceals its very high alcoholic content and so, Don the Beachcomber limits its customers to 2 Zombies each.

The original recipe for the drink included 3 different types of rum, Angostura bitters, Pernod, grenadine, falernum, lime juice and Don’s Mix, a blend of grapefruit juice and cinnamon syrup. As Donn Beach was extremely cautious with his original cocktails’ recipes, he only gave his bartenders coded references to the ingredients. The only person who knew the contents was him.

The original Zombie recipes and other Tiki drinks have been published by Jeff Berry in Sippin' Safari. Berry conducted his research on the origins of different Tiki cocktails and interviewed bartenders working for Don the Beachcomber restaurants and original Tiki places. Sippin' Safari revealed Beach’s improvement of the cocktail with 3 different recipes from 1934 to 1956.

The Zombie was very popular during the Tiki craze and with Beach both keeping his recipes secret and occasionally changing it, many variations of the drink are now made at many bars and restaurants. Some of these variations also show a few similarities to the original drink.

Ingredients for Making the Cocktail

·         ½ part 151-proof rum

·         1 part golden rum

·         1 part apricot brandy

·         1 part dark rum

·         1 part lime juice

·         1 part pineapple juice

·         1 part white rum

Preparation Stages

Mix all of the ingredients except the 151-proof rum in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well and pour into a glass. Top it with ½ part 151-proof rum.  You can use a cherry or a lime wedge for garnish. Serve right away.

If there’s no cocktail shaker available, you can also stir the drink. Pour all ingredients except the proof rum into a glass with ice. Use a long spoon to stir it and then top the drink with the 151.

The Zombie is a popular drink among young crowds at modern nightclubs and bars. Not only it is fun to drink, but knowing how to mix it will also let you show off your bartending skills. The Zombie received its name for a reason and although it’s filled with fruit juice, it has a concentration of alcohol. It goes down fast, but it produces quite a punch. So, be careful and don’t drink what you cannot take.