Zombie Cocktail Recipe: Don the Beachcomber's Tiki Icon

Ingredients

1½ oz Jamaican rum aged, full-bodiede.g. Appleton Estate · Smith & Cross · Wray & Nephew · Hampden Estate · Worthy Park
1½ oz gold rume.g. Bacardi · Havana Club · Mount Gay · Appleton Estate · Brugal
1 oz overproof rum Demerara, about 75% ABVe.g. Wray & Nephew · Bacardi 151 · Plantation · Stroh
¾ oz lime juice
½ oz falernum
½ oz Donn's Mix 2 parts grapefruit juice, 1 part cinnamon syrup
1 tsp grenadine
1 dash Angostura bittersBuy on Amazon →
6 drop absinthe or Herbsainte.g. Pernod · La Clandestine · Kübler · St. George · Lucid

Garnish: Mint sprig · Ice: Crushed ice

Method

Make Donn's Mix by combining 2 parts fresh grapefruit juice with 1 part cinnamon syrup.
Add all ingredients to a blender with about 180 ml crushed ice.
Flash blend at high speed for no more than 5 seconds.
Pour unstrained into a tiki mug or tall glass and top with more crushed ice if needed.
Garnish with a large sprig of mint.

Watch it made

Zombie

Taste

Rich, fruity and spicy: molasses and funk from the rums, tart lime and grapefruit, cinnamon, clove and a faint anise note. Very strong, though it drinks deceptively easily.

History and origin

The Zombie was created by Donn Beach (born Ernest Gantt), the founder of Don the Beachcomber in Hollywood, whose bar, opened in the early 1930s, launched the American tiki craze. The drink appeared in the mid-1930s and quickly became the most famous item on the menu; Don the Beachcomber is said to have limited guests to two per visit because of its strength.

Donn guarded his recipes closely, writing ingredients in code for his staff, so for decades the drinks served under the name Zombie were often loose imitations. In the 2000s the tiki historian Jeff "Beachbum" Berry published a reconstruction of the 1934 recipe based on a bartender's notebook, which is the basis of the modern spec with its three rums, falernum and Donn's Mix. The International Bartenders Association lists the Zombie among its classics.

Bartender tips

The 151-proof Demerara rum is essential for the depth of the drink; there is no real substitute.
No blender? Shake hard with crushed ice and dump everything into the glass.
Serve one per guest: with about 120 ml of rum, including overproof, this is a very strong drink.

Variations

1950s Beachcomber Zombie: Don the Beachcomber's later versions of the drink used different rums and juice combinations from the 1934 original.
Mai Tai: Another tiki pillar, with rum, lime, orange curaçao and orgeat.
Jet Pilot: A related Beachcomber-style drink with three rums, falernum, cinnamon and grapefruit.

Frequently asked questions

Why is the Zombie so strong?

It contains around 120 ml of rum, including overproof Demerara rum at about 75% ABV, which is why it is traditionally limited to one or two per guest.

What is Donn's Mix?

A blend of 2 parts fresh grapefruit juice and 1 part cinnamon syrup, one of Donn Beach's signature ingredients.

Can I make a Zombie without falernum?

You can, but it loses its lime, clove and almond spice; a little orgeat with a dash of Angostura is a rough substitute.

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