19 Aug The Zombie Cocktail Recipe

The Zombie Cocktail

When Prohibition was lifted in the 1930s, US bartenders were eager to get the party started, but they had a supply problem. With US production halted for more than ten years, where would they get their spirits? Don the Beachcomber had the answer: rum. It was plentiful. It was nearby. And it was cheap.

Thus, tiki was born. Tiki’s Caribbean flavor and quasi-Polynesian decor welcomed the cocktail back to the US. It soon devolved into cartoonishness. But before it did, some great cocktails were born, including today’s, the Zombie. If yesterday was a non-rum rum drink, this is the rummiest drink of all. Still, the Zombie is no joke; if you use good rum, it’s unexpectedly sophisticated. It also has quite a kick.

The Zombie Cocktail Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 oz dark rum
• 1 1/2 oz white rum
• 1 oz high proof Demerara rum
• 1/2 oz falernum
• 3/4 oz lime juice
• 1 tsp cinnamon syrup*
• 2 tsp grapefruit juice
• 2 tsp grenadine
• mint sprig, for garnish

Instructions

• Add all liquid ingredients to a blender with ice
• Blend for a  few seconds
• Pour into a highball glass and add more ice.
• Garnish with mint.

Cinnamon Syrup

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup water
• 3 crushed cinnamon sticks

Instructions

• Add all ingredients to a small pot.
• Boil for 3 minutes.
• Let cool.
• Strain.