Food & Drink
Halloween Treats: ZOMBIE, a cocktail to die for
Drinks Mixer
October 23, 2024
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There is no cocktail with a name that symbolizes a holiday as much as the Zombie does for Halloween, particularly because it has the ability to turn you into one if you drink too many of them.
The story behind the drink is an apt one as well. It was invented by Donn Beach, a bartender at Hollywood’s Don the Beachcomber restaurant, in the late 1930’s.
The story goes that Beach devised the cocktail to help a hung-over customer who had to attend a business meeting. The customer apparently returned a few days later to complain he had been turned into a zombie after drinking a few of them, thereupon creating the name. He may have been confused by the cocktail’s smooth, fruity taste, which masks its high alcohol content.
Beach was apparently very secretive about his recipe for the Zombie, which may explain why there are so many different concoctions bearing its name. However, it is generally made of fruit juices, liqueurs and a variety of rums, including one that is 151 proof. The last usually tops the rest of the ingredients, and can be set on fire if so desired.
Below please find a few different recipes that will likely make this Halloween the best you’ve ever had.
Zombie #1 recipe
1/2 oz Bacardi® 151 rum
1 oz pineapple juice
1 oz orange juice
1/2 oz apricot brandy
1 tsp sugar
2 oz light rum
1 oz dark rum
1 oz lime juice
Blend all ingredients with ice except Bacardi 151 proof rum. Pour into a collins glass . Float Bacardi 151 proof rum on top. Garnish with a fruit slice, sprig of mint and a cherry.
24% (48 proof)
Zombie #2 recipe
1 oz light rum
1/2 oz creme de almond
1 1/2 oz sweet and sour mix
1/2 oz triple sec
1 1/2 oz orange juice
1/2 oz 151 proof rum
Shake all ingredients (except 151 proof rum) with ice and strain into a collins glass over ice cubes. Float the 151 proof rum on top, add a cherry (if desired), and serve.
19% (38 proof)
Zombie #3 recipe
1 1/4 oz lemon juice
2 dashes grenadine syrup
3/4 oz orange juice
3/4 oz Heering® cherry liqueur
3/4 oz white rum
2 oz dark rum
3/4 oz 151 proof rum
Shake over ice in a shaker, and strain into a large highball glass over crushed ice.
28% (56 proof)
Zombie #4 recipe
1 1/2 oz gold rum
3 tsp lime juice
1 tbsp Jamaican dark rum
1 tbsp white rum
1 tbsp pineapple juice
1 tbsp papaya juice
1 1/2 tsp sugar syrup
1 tsp 151 proof rum
1 pineapple stick
1 pinch powdered sugar
Shake all ingredients (except the high-proof rum) over ice, the pineapple stick and the sugar. Strain and add ice. Garnish with pineapple and a cherry. Float the high-proof rum on top and sprinkle a little sugar over it.
25% (50 proof)
Zombie #5 recipe
1 oz light rum
1/2 oz creme de noyaux
1/2 oz triple sec
1 1/2 oz sweet and sour mix
1 1/2 oz orange juice
1/2 oz 151 proof rum
Strain ingredients into collins glass filled with ice. Top with 151 Proof Rum.
19% (38 proof)
Source: Drinks Mixer