Post #798738 by swizzle on Wed, Nov 20, 2019 12:35 AM

This is David Embury's recipe from his book 'The Fine art Of Mixing Drinks'.

A friend of mine was managing a bar and had this on the menu about the same time that i was getting into Tiki and into cocktails. It was a long time ago so i have no idea how close he stuck to the recipe but i do know he used both apricot and cherry and i'm pretty sure they were liqueurs, not brandies.

This was the first zombie i ever tried and i absolutely loved it and it's what made it my favourite tropical cocktail, i much prefer a good zombie to a mai tai. (Although admittedly it's been so long since i've had this version if i had one now i might find i don't like it as much as my palate has changed over time. I think it's time to try one again).

1 tsp. Sugar Syrup

1/2-3/4 oz. Lime Juice

3/4 oz. Fresh Pineapple Juice*1

1 oz. White Label Rum

2 oz. Gold Label Rum*2

1 oz. Jamaica Rum

2 tsp. Apricot Liqueur*3

1/2-3/4 oz. mysterious ingredient*4

1. Shake all ingredients together with crushed ice and pour into a Zombie glass*.

2. Float 1/2-1 tsp. 151-Proof Demerara Rum on top.

3. Decorate with orange, lemon, pink and green cherries, a pineapple stick and several springs of mint.

4. Sprinkle powdered sugar over all this.

*A Zombie glass is a tall, narrow glass. Also appropriate to use a Tiki glass – a ceramic, Polynesian mug with reliefs of trees, voodoo faces or naked women.

*1. Falernum or orgeat may be substituted.

*2. “Just for the sake of making it more complicated this may be changed to 1 oz. gold label rum and 1 oz. Barbados or Haitian rum.

*3. “For the same reason this may be changed to 1 tsp. apricot and 1 tsp. cherry. Sometimes the liqueurs are used and sometimes brandies.

*4. “This is usually papaya juice. Sometimes it is coconut juice. Sometimes – and preferably – this ingredient is omitted altogether.