Zombie Recipe

Anyone know of an authentic Zombie drink recipe? And does anyone have or has seen an authentic Zombie mug?

There are a lot of Zombie recipes out there. As to what's authentic... no idea

There are 2 books I'd look in, Intoxica, and Hawaii Tropical Rum Drinks & Cuisine by Don the Beachcomber. The former researched by intrepid explorers of tropical drinks, the latter by Don the Beachcomber's wife.

Authentic Zombie mug.... heck, anything with a good Zombie in it!

Intoxica, though a great recipe book by Jeff Berry, does not have the Zombie. However, the Zombie is in Jeff Berry''s previous book of recipes The Grog Log.

When Don the Beachcomber invented the Zombie in the 1930s tiki mugs weren't yet in use. The drink is traditionally served in a tall slender glass often called a chimney glass.

Of course, there is no reason why you can't serve it in any vessel you want. I have yet to see a ceramic mug in the image of a zombie .

Ahoy hoy,
We just got a new Grog Log in the mail today. Zombies are a fave of mine:

1 oz lime juice
3/4 oz unsweetened pineapple juice
3/4 oz papaya nectar
1/2 oz applejack
Tablespoon powdered sugar
1 oz dark Jamaican rum
2 oz Barbados rum
1 oz light Puerto Rican rum
1/2 oz 151 rum

Shake it all, except the 151, with cube ice. Pour in to tall Collins/chimney glass. Float the 151. Garnish: mint sprig, pineapple cube bewtween red and green cherries. A pinch of powdered sugar over the top.

That sounds good, hmm...it's 5 o'clock someplace!

midnite :drink:

TheJab wrote:

Intoxica, though a great recipe book by Jeff Berry, does not have the Zombie.

errr, what about page 34? :)

On 2003-05-22 12:54, tikimonkey wrote:
TheJab wrote:

Intoxica, though a great recipe book by Jeff Berry, does not have the Zombie.

errr, what about page 34? :)

Sorry about that folks! I thought it was in the Grog Log and I don't have the books here at work (though it would be nice to shake one up about now). You NEED both books anyway.

On 2003-05-22 12:36, thejab wrote:
I have yet to see a ceramic mug in the image of a zombie .

You're having a bad day Jab...

From Munktiki, of course.

I prescribe a Zombie. Just one should get you back to par.

Trader Woody

On 2003-05-22 12:47, midnite_tiki wrote:

1 oz lime juice
3/4 oz unsweetened pineapple juice
3/4 oz papaya nectar
1/2 oz applejack
Tablespoon powdered sugar
1 oz dark Jamaican rum
2 oz Barbados rum
1 oz light Puerto Rican rum
1/2 oz 151 rum

midnite :drink:

Despite it being in the Grog Log and all, personally I really don't care for this recipe. Laird's Applejack is some pretty vile stuff. Paint thinner might work just as well and maybe even taste better. I very much doubt that this is the original Don The beachcomber Zombie recipe. I would believe the one given in Intoxica to be closer.

I also have my own recipe that I think works pretty well.

• 1 oz Spiced Rum (Trader Vic’s Spiced, Captain Morgan, or Redrum Voodoo)
• 1-1/2 oz aged Rum (Rhum Barbancourt preferred, or Mount Gay Sugar Cane)
• 1 oz Dark Rum (Myers’s, Whaler’s, Pusser’s blue label)
• 1 oz Apricot Brandy or Apricot Liqueur
• 1 oz Lime Juice
• teaspoon Falernum
• ½ oz Passion Fruit or mango syrup
• 4 oz Papaya Pineapple juice/nectar (or just papaya)
• a little cherry brandy optional
• ½ oz 151 demerrara float

It's not an original Zombie, either, but has been said before nobody really knows what the original Zombie is. As long as it contain 4 oz of blended rums and some type of tropical fruit juice, maybe anything could be a zombie.

I prefer the Zombie recipe that has the Apple Jack in it. Gotta nice littke kick in it. I've tried the other recipe in Intoxica, the 'Tonga Zombie' I think it is, made with passion fruit syrup. That one's not bad either. I haven't done the true Don the Beachcomber recipe. Maybe after writing this post I'll remember to pick up some brown sugar. Anwyay, coconutz you can check out the previousTiki Central thread entitled ZOMBIE!!!!!! for more info and a picture of one of my home made Zombies in the proper 'chimney' glass.:drink:

[ Edited by: donhonyc on 2003-05-22 22:23 ]

There is a whole lot of variation in recipies. The original recipe in the Don book is mostly fine aged rums and plenty of them (4.25 oz. of regular and 1 oz. 151!), plus various liqueurs, flavorings, and juices, none of which seem to be common to multiple Zombie recipies (with the exception of lime juice). Don's recipe in Intoxica that's from the 1950s is quite different with less rum and totally different ingredients. The Trader Vic recipe from 1972 is pretty dull with just 2 oz. of light and gold rum, curacao, and some juices.

Piphiro has the right idea. Put in 3-5 different rums, some fresh juice and a flavoring or 2, and you're set. But don't waste the real good rum in a Zombie.

In "Bar and Cocktail Book: A Complete Guide to the World's Drinks and How to Mix and Serve Them"
by Michael Jackson, the zombie is described as A JOKE DRINK and furthering the insults claims the purpose of the drink is "to cram as many types of rum into a glass like students in a phone booth".
I shant offend this board by repeating what Michael Jackson has to say about the SCORPIAN or MAI-TAI.

From "Hawaii, Tropical Rum Drinks and Cuisine" by Don the Beachcomber.
3/4 OZ Lime Juice
1/2 OZ Grapefruit Juice
1/2 OZ Fallernum
1/2 OZ Simple Syrup
1-1/4 OZ Light Puerto Rican Rum
1 OZ Lemon Hart Demerara Rum
1 OZ Meyers's Dark
1 OZ Appleton Estate Rum
1 OZ Ron Zacapo Rum (or MT. Gay?)
2 dashes Pernod
2 dashes Angostura bitters
1 Dash Absinthe, Pernod
3 dashes Grenadine
3/4 Marashino Liquor
Pour all ingredients into a blender with a handful of cracked ice. pour into 14 OZ glass with a few ice cubes. Garnish with spear of pineapple, orange, cherry and sprig of mint. serve with straw.

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?mode=viewtopic&topic=727&forum=1&start=0

Mahalo,
Al

Great bejesus! I'd be sober by the time I figured out how to pour that drink. Or, by the time I figured out what Fallernum is.

On 2003-05-23 08:10, Alnshely wrote:
From "Hawaii, Tropical Rum Drinks and Cuisine" by Don the Beachcomber.
3/4 OZ Lime Juice
1/2 OZ Grapefruit Juice
1/2 OZ Fallernum
1/2 OZ Simple Syrup
1-1/4 OZ Light Puerto Rican Rum
1 OZ Lemon Hart Demerara Rum
1 OZ Meyers's Dark
1 OZ Appleton Estate Rum
1 OZ Ron Zacapo Rum (or MT. Gay?)
2 dashes Pernod
2 dashes Angostura bitters
1 Dash Absinthe, Pernod
3 dashes Grenadine
3/4 Marashino Liquor

Now that might well be original given that Absinthe has not been legally available in the US since before prohibition. Don seemed to have a thing for Pernod and put it in a lot of his drinks. I have never seen it used in a Zombie recipe before. But "2 dashes Pernod" and "1 dash Absinthe, Pernod" seems a bit odd.

Actually, the best Zombie I ever had was made for me by an unknown bartender at a now long closed disco in the San Fernando Valley in the 70s (of course). I have no idea what he put in it but it was like none of the recipes I have ever seen. I have been trying for years to reproduce it and have never even gotten close.

On 2003-05-23 09:41, Luckydesigns wrote:
Great bejesus! I'd be sober by the time I figured out how to pour that drink. Or, by the time I figured out what Fallernum is.

For Falernum: http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=3714&forum=1&7

Damn upsetting to read that quote from Michael Jackson. I really respect his opinions about Belgian beers and single malts. Looks like he's going to need a good ass-kicking about tropical drinks. Tony, Woody, the rest of Team UK: Find the red-nosed, hairy son of a bitch and pour a real Mai Tai down his throat. He must recant!

-martin

On 2003-05-23 10:10, martiki6 wrote:
Tony, Woody, the rest of Team UK: Find the red-nosed, hairy son of a bitch and pour a real Mai Tai down his throat. He must recant!

He certainly knows his beers, but perhaps his taste buds are so keenly tuned that he can only appreciate dry, bitter tastes. Anything vaguely sweet probably just makes his hair straighten.

Of course, not all Zombie mixers pay such attention to detail as Tiki Centralites. It's more than likely that MJ's Zombie experience was at the hands of what we'd class as an amateur.

Still, should we meet, words about the Zombie will be spoken.

Trader Woody

Well, look anybody willing to call themselves "Michael Jackson" these days can't be all that trustworthy now can they? What with dangling babies out the window and all that, who'd take 'em seriously? Clearly this man is an impostor. Zombies rule!

-JTD

[ Edited by: JTD on 2003-05-23 18:07 ]

Tank use one and all for all the Zombie recipes! What frightening concoctions! Eerie zombie mug! Simplicity is best I believe, however so try out this basic brew. After my first, my face numbed, after the 2nd, I forgot my name:
ZOMBIE
2 oz. rum (any)
1 oz. apricot brandy
Then fill glass with equal parts fresh orange,lemon and grapefruit juices. Shake or stir with ice. A splash of grenadine is nice on top. You will be zombified!

On 2003-07-21 19:52, coconutz wrote:
Tank use one and all for all the Zombie recipes! What frightening concoctions! Eerie zombie mug! Simplicity is best I believe, however so try out this basic brew. After my first, my face numbed, after the 2nd, I forgot my name:
ZOMBIE
2 oz. rum (any)
1 oz. apricot brandy
Then fill glass with equal parts fresh orange,lemon and grapefruit juices. Shake or stir with ice. A splash of grenadine is nice on top. You will be zombified!

A good start but methinks it needs more rum or it's not a Zombie. Throw some 151 in there too (Demarara if you have it). After 2 you should become the living dead!

There's a Zombie recipe in the BoT. Don't know the page, but I've blended that one and it's not bad. The best Zombie I've tasted is David Chan's blend at the Honolulu Restaurant in D.C.

^Just make sure to hand your car keys off to someone before you start drinking David's Zombies. Thankfully, I usually count on my wife to get me home from the Honolulu. :)

Here is another version.I found this gem of a book in a garage sale.The name of the rums shows it's age of the formula. I have not tried it yet(powdered sugar?).

This is from "The Official Mixer's Manual" by Patrick Gavin Duffy, Copy 1934, New York.

Zombie
3/4 oz. Pineapple Juice
3/4 oz. Papaya Juice
Juice of one lime
3/4 oz. Powdered Sugar
1/3 oz. Apple Brandy
1 oz. Rum, 90 Proof
2oz. Tropical Gold Seal Rum, 86 Proof
1 oz. White Label Rum
Ice generously and shake. Garnish with a slice of pinapple, a green and a red cherry. THEN FLOAT ON TOP RUM OF 151 PROOF. Top off with fine powdered sugar

[ Edited by: Unga Bunga on 2003-07-22 08:18 ]

Yet another variation:

1 1/2 ounces golden rum
1 ounce dark rum
1 1/2 ounces pineapple juice
1 1/2 ounces pink grapefruit juice
2 teaspoons superfine sugar
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/2 teaspoon grenadine
3 teaspoons passionfruit syrup
1 teaspoon 151 proof rum

(151 can be mixed into the drink or floated on top and sprinkled with confectioner's sugar)

Garnish with fruit wedge, mint and maraschino cherry.

Repeat
Repeat
Repeat

here are a couple i just found though i haven't tried them yet
#1
2 measures dark rum
2 measures light rum
1 measures golden rum
1 measurestriple sec
1 measures lime juice
1 measures orange juice
1 measures pineapple juice
1 measures Guava juice
1 tbsp grenadine
1 tbsp
orgeat
1 tsp pernod

#2
1 measures golden rum
1 measures dark rum
1 measures white rum
1 measures apricot brandy
1 measures lime juice
1 measures pineapple juice
1 tsp rock candy

#3
in ounces
1/2 white rum
1/2 golden rum
1/2 dark rum
1/3 cherry brandy
1/3 appricot brandy
1 3/4 pineapple juice
1 orange juice
1/3 lime juice
2/3 papaya juice
dash orgeat
dash 151 (demerara rum)

The last time I had a Zombie was when I was at the Trader Vic's in Atlanta. It was alot different from the recipes that are in 'Intoxica' & 'Grog Log', and it actually seemed simpler to make. Joel (the bartender ) showed me, but I totally forgot and wish that I remembered it. I actually liked it more than the ones listed in the two books. The only thing that I can remember was that it had grenadine in it, and was red in color. Anybody know of this one?

This is the Zombie recipe I use:

3 1/2 oz Rum
1 oz Pineapple Juice
1 oz Orange Juice
3/4 oz Apricot Brandy
1/4 oz Simple Syrup or Orgeat
1 oz Lime Juice

On 2003-09-11 23:41, donhonyc wrote:
The last time I had a Zombie was when I was at the Trader Vic's in Atlanta. ... Joel (the bartender ) showed me, but I totally forgot , Anybody know of this one?

A little late, but here goes (as published in the Atlanta Journal, reportedly from "the bartender at Trader Vic's, Joel"):
-Juice of half a lime
-1 1/2 oz. fresh orange juice
-1 oz. lemon juice
-1/4 oz. (Trader Vic's) grenadine
-1 oz. curaçao
-1 oz. light PR Rum
-1 oz. Dark Jamaican Rum
-Scoop of shaved ice
-Garnish w/fresh mint leaves
(Repeat as necessary)

Here's the recipe that I doubled at the collegiate national championship football game last year. There were 30 people here. The recipe says it's for 60 - so we had a people to booze factor of 1 to 4. Vic must have hung out with sissies.

From the Trader Vic's Book of Food and Drink:

2 bottles Red Heart or Myers
4 bottles Ron Merito or Brugal
1 bottle Demerara 151 (Lemon Hart)
2 bottles DeKuyper or Nuyens Curacao
3 quarts lemon juice
3 quarts orange juice
1 quart grenadine
2 ounces Herbsaint or Pernod.

Mix ingredients thouroughly, chill with large cake of ice in punch bowl, letting it stand an hour or two before serving.

Ohio State won and we all danced around for about 2 hours singing and hugging and crying.
Hey, it's been a while.

Also - some of the crowd wouldn't touch our offering and drank several cases of beer.

Hey Kava King...

Yowshuh!!!!! That sounds about right. I'll try that one. As I recall the recipe wasn't too complicated, and that one you listed doesn't seem complicated either. I'll get on that right away. Thanks! Now if I could only get this mouse out of my kitchen.....

:drink:

I was just emailed the Bali Ha'i version of the zombie recipe, tasty!

Zombie
Makes 1 drink
Ice
1 ounce light rum
1 ounce Meyers Original Dark Rum
1/2 ounce triple sec
Dash of creme de noyaux or grenadine
2 ounces orange juice
2 ounces sweet and sour mix or pineapple juice
1/2 ounce 151-proof rum

Garnish
1 pineapple, orange or lemon wedge
1 maraschino cherry
1 tiki umbrella

Fill a 14-1/2-ounce glass with ice. Over the ice, pour rums, triple sec, creme de noyaux, orange juice and sweet and sour mix. Stir contents. Top with 151-proof rum. Garnish and serve.

(From Sam Choy's Hawaii at the Bali Ha'i.)

Here's a recipe from Trader Vic that was in the September 4, 1944 issue of Life magazine. Yet another....

2 oz orange juice
1 oz lemon juice
1 oz orange-lime juice (?)
1 dash Peychaud's bitters
1/2 oz 100 proof Jamaica Rum
2 oz Puerto Rican Rum
1 oz 151 proof Jamaica rum
1/2 oz Jamaica rum 90 proof
dash of orange curacao
dash of grenadine
1/2 oz Rhum Sarthe

Shake and strain into glass over ice and add a float of Herbsaint.

That sounds pretty interesting.

[ Edited by: martiki6 on 2003-11-17 20:17 ]

Does anyone know what recipe the Mai Kai uses for Zombies? I have tried so many different recipes and have not found any of them to come close to theirs. Any help would be great.

"ZOMBIE" RECIPE ca. 1935

Here is an early "Zombie" recipe I have posted before. It is taken from "The Gentleman's Companion, Volume II Exotic Drink Book" by Charles H. Bakers Jr., 1939.

I have edited the first half of the recipe dealing with the Zombie monster as it goes on for an entire page!

"AN EXOTIC COCONUT-COGNAC COCKTAIL from CAP HAITIEN, REPUBLIC de HAITI, and is Called the ZOMBIE*

Enriched coconut milk, see below, 1 1/2 cups or so
Cognac, 3 jiggers
Maraschino, 2 ponies
Angostura, 2 or 3 dashes
Very Finely cracked or shave ice

Put in shaker with lots of very finely cracked ice, shake hard and turn ice and all - a' la Daiquiri - into small, chilled goblets...Another variation, and much better flavoured one we find, is found by using only 2 jiggers cognac, and one jigger old Haitian-or other medium dark-rum.

Enriched coconut milk: get a ripe coconut anywhere. Bore two holes in the eyes and drain out water into saucepan-being careful to strain out fibers or bits of shell...Crack open nut, peel off brown outer skin from kernel, and either grate, grind, or cut up fine and add to water...Fetch to a simmer for five minutes. Put through fine cloth, squeezing out the rich cream by hand. Ripe fresh coconuts can be hand in most good grocery stores these days...Those possessing The Blender will save an incredible amount of time by cutting up kernel, with brown part unremoved, into the top container of The Blender; turn in the coconut juice. Reduce to a pulp at high speed for 1 minute, then rub through a very fine sieve, or strain through several thicknesses of cloth...CLINICAL NOTE: Quite recently not a few coconut cream drink-aids have come to light. Merely mix up any required amount to richness approaching that of honest Grade A milk.

*It may be of some mild interest to our Lodge of Amiable Amateur Mixers that the Zombie formula set on this page was put to paper in the fall of '35: whereas the high-proof so-called Zombie known to most bar men did not raise it's dizzy head until two years, or better, later. Author."

Trader Verne's has a really cool zombie head mug, but it's 30.00. it looks like the old zombies from old movies. check it out. i have also seen one on sale on ebay.

one of the few things i remember about zombies from growing up ( not tasting them at the time, but seeing them made) was that they were a layered drink. Everything I've seen here on this forum is saying stir or shake exept the float.

An ex-roommate of mine has his grandmother's bar book from during prohibition, and it said to layer the drink. If I can get a hold of him, i'll post the recipe.

any thoughts on this?

The Zombie is not a layered drink like a Pousse Cafe is, but many recipes for it have lots of stuff with different specific gravities that make it look layered. Syrups like grenadine or passion fruit syrup will sink to the bottom, while the demerarra rum floats on top. So unless you stir or shake it good it will look like it has layers.

I have to say I tried the Zombie recipe of the Ted Haigh "vintage spirit and forgotten cocktails" book, and it's the best one I've ever had.

As I remember :

1 ounce Lemon Juice
1 once Lime juice
1 once pineapple
1 once passion fruit syrup
dash of Angostura
1 ounce Gold Puerto Rican Rum
1 ounce White Puerto Rican Rum
1 ounce 151 demerara
1 teaspoon brown sugar

mix the sugar with the lemon juice, shake it all, put in a collins glass (I used my Hukilau glass, perfect).

Excellent drink

On 2003-07-22 07:29, Kailuageoff wrote:
There's a Zombie recipe in the BoT. Don't know the page, but I've blended that one and it's not bad. The best Zombie I've tasted is David Chan's blend at the Honolulu Restaurant in D.C.

Here 'tis:

Zombie recipe from www. time2tiki.com website
(named the "strongest drink" served at the Honolulu Restaurant)
2 oz orange juice
1 oz unsweetened lemon juice
1 oz light rum
1 oz 151 rum
3/4 oz Grenadine (also verbally quoted as 1/2 oz)
1/2 oz Orange Curacao
1 cup of ice (use ice chips or crushed ice for best results)

Be precise on measuring the ingredients! Slightly blend or shake. Pour into your favorite tiki mug (Dave recommends the Bikini Girl Mug) and enjoy!

Here is a Zombie recipe presented appropriately for Halloween!

From the 'Sauceguide to cocktails' (a great cocktail 'magazine' from London which comes out twice a year with over 1400 tried & tested cocktails, i think it's called the 'Diffords' guide now)

ZOMBIE:
3/4 shot Havanna Club light rum
3/4 shot Pusser's navy rum
3/4 shot Mount Gay Eclipse gold rum
i/2 shot Bols apricot brandy liqueur
1/2 shot orange curacao
2 1/2 shot freshly squeezed orange juice
2 1/2 pressed pineapple juice
1/2 shot Grenadine syrup
1 shot freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 shot wray & nephew overproof rum

Shake first nine ingredients with ice, strain in ice-filled (hurricane) glass, float Demerara rum on surface, garnish with pineapple wedge.

http://www.sauceguides.com/

On 2003-09-16 19:54, Kava King wrote:

On 2003-09-11 23:41, donhonyc wrote:
The last time I had a Zombie was when I was at the Trader Vic's in Atlanta. ... Joel (the bartender ) showed me, but I totally forgot , Anybody know of this one?

A little late, but here goes (as published in the Atlanta Journal, reportedly from "the bartender at Trader Vic's, Joel"):
-Juice of half a lime
-1 1/2 oz. fresh orange juice
-1 oz. lemon juice
-1/4 oz. (Trader Vic's) grenadine
-1 oz. curaçao
-1 oz. light PR Rum
-1 oz. Dark Jamaican Rum
-Scoop of shaved ice
-Garnish w/fresh mint leaves
(Repeat as necessary)

Personally I like these drinks more strong than fruity.. hence Zombie. This is an excellent recipe from the master:

From Bartender's Guide by Trader Vic - 1947

1 oz Jamaican Rum
2 oz Puerto Rican Rum
1/2 oz 151 Demerara Rum
1 oz Orange Curacao
1 oz Lemon
1 oz Orange Juice
1/2 oz Grenadine
1 Dash pernod

Mix in a mixing glass with a large piece of ice; stir well and pour over cracked ice in a14 oz. chimney glass. serve with straw.

Similar to the Atlanta recipe above...

From my Dad's 1941 mixology guide "HERE'S HOW".

ZOMBIE
-One to a customer!

3/4 ounce Heavy Bodied Rum (About 96 Proof)
3/4 ounce Dark Porto (sic) Rican Rum
3/4 ounce Light Porto Rican Rum
3/4 ounce Red Rum
1/2 ounce Apricot Brandy
3/4 ounce Pineapple Juice
1 Large Lime (Juice Only)
1 Teaspoon Brown Sugar

Shake well with Ice and pour into Zombie Glass without straining.

Add more Ice if necessary to fill glass, and float a Dash of 151 proof Rum on top.

Garnish with Mint, Pineapple, and Cherries.

(Perhaps it would be wise to locate the coroner before serving this)

[ Edited by: El Bastardo 2005-11-03 18:14 ]

On 2003-07-22 08:17, Unga Bunga wrote:
Here is another version.I found this gem of a book in a garage sale.The name of the rums shows it's age of the formula. I have not tried it yet(powdered sugar?).

This is from "The Official Mixer's Manual" by Patrick Gavin Duffy, Copy 1934, New York.

Zombie
3/4 oz. Pineapple Juice
3/4 oz. Papaya Juice
Juice of one lime
3/4 oz. Powdered Sugar
1/3 oz. Apple Brandy
1 oz. Rum, 90 Proof
2oz. Tropical Gold Seal Rum, 86 Proof
1 oz. White Label Rum
Ice generously and shake. Garnish with a slice of pinapple, a green and a red cherry. THEN FLOAT ON TOP RUM OF 151 PROOF. Top off with fine powdered sugar

[ Edited by: Unga Bunga on 2003-07-22
08:18 ]

I was wondering about this one-- When did Don The Beachcomber claim to have invented the Zombie? Was he famous enough by 1934 to have his drink included in a mixing guide? (By the way, I like this recipe best--it just seems right)

On 2006-01-23 14:03, pappythesailor wrote:
I was wondering about this one-- When did Don The Beachcomber claim to have invented the Zombie? Was he famous enough by 1934 to have his drink included in a mixing guide? (By the way, I like this recipe best--it just seems right)

According to Intoxica, ca 1950 Donn claimed that he invented the Zombie in 1934. "Anyone that says otherwise is a liar!!" Who is the liar he is referring to? Vic? Gavin?

The recipe from Patrick Gavin Duffy's book is nearly identical to the one on pg 89 of Grog Log, which Berry attributes to an anonymous 1934 attempt to reproduce Donn's recipe.

If Donn opened his first place in 1933/34 and Prohibition was repealed in December 1933, then yes, I too wonder how in such a short time the drink became popular and influential enough to appear in mainstream books in 1934 and 1935.

In Ted Haigh's Vintage Spirits... he states that Gavin Duffy "practically radiated contempt for the drink in his books." For what it's worth.

I'd have to guess that there was a drink called "Zombie" prior to Donn's version but that he came up with his own recipe. Or perhaps he even came up with the name on his own, not realizing that a drink with the same name was already making the rounds in the bars of countries not suffering under Prohibition.

Zombie. Carribean. Rum. Juice. It's a natural.

Just for kicks I googled an online etymology dictionary:

"zombie
1871, of W. African origin (cf. Kikongo zumbi "fetish;" Kimbundu nzambi "god"), originally the name of a snake god, later with meaning "reanimated corpse" in voodoo cult. But perhaps also from Louisiana creole word meaning "phantom, ghost," from Sp. sombra "shade, ghost." Sense "slow-witted person" is recorded from 1936."

Note the "reaminated corpse" in voodoo cult bit. According to Donn legend, he invented the drink to help a hungover customer make a business meeting (Grog Log pg 5). The businessman said "I felt like the living dead - it made a zombie out of me."

From Haigh's book: "The Corpse Reviver was more a class of drink than a single recipe. It originated at the turn of the twentieth century, sometimes merely as the "reviver" or "eye opener." At the time, however titled, it's meaning was obvious: "hair of the dog" or a little more of what bit you last night.

"Corpse Revivers are largely forgotten because, for a time, fruit juiced, complex, "up" cocktails went out of style. Drinking in the morning remained off limits to most people. The "Reviver" name was bound to Prohibition, and with the temporary ascendancy of highballs in the 1940s and beyond, it simply died out with the generation that drank such drinks."

Or perhaps it lived on...as The Zombie! BWAAAHAAAHAAA!!

Oops, got carried a way there. I don't see it as such a stretch that the Zombie was a sort of evolution of the Corpse Reviver. The name alone suggests the possibility.

Well, I'm done. Where's me rum??

EDIT: Just checked IMDB.com and searched "zombie." The Bela Lugosi movie "White Zombie" was the earliest US release with the word "zombie" in the title and it was released in 1932. Just in time to capture the imaginations of a generation of mixologists and suggest a new spin on the old Corpse Reviver!

OK, maybe now I'm stretching it a bit? Done for real now.

[ Edited by: Kono 2006-01-23 17:42 ]

[ Edited by: Kono 2006-01-23 17:52 ]

edited, links are gone, that recipe from 2003 needs to be revisited

for the earliest scoop on new Ocea Otica works http://junkhaulersjunk.blogspot.com/

[ Edited by: oceaotica 2009-02-14 13:11 ]

For you TC'ers in the Washington DC area, there's a Chinese Restaurant in McLean Virginia called "Forbidden City" on old dominion drive (703-821-9000). They make a pretty good Zombie, especially if you get "Ping" to make them for you. Ask for Ping, and tell him I sent you :wink: I might get a free one out of it! They also happen to have excellent food there too.

David Chan's Zombies were pretty damned good too. I really miss the Honolulu Restaurant in our area. Too bad Dave and Anna wanted to retire...

TikiGap

[ Edited by: tikigap 2006-02-14 11:56 ]

They compared 6 Zombie recipies in the Kaiser Penguin blog yesterday. Here's the lineup in order from best to worst:

1. Dr. Cocktail
2. Beachbum Berry
3. Gary Regan v2
4. Trader Vic
5. Dale DeGroff
6. Gary Regan v1

http://www.kaiserpenguin.com/zombie-recipe-comparison/

Hey Jab,
which is your favorite Zombie?
I'm very fond of the Zombie from Tiki Ti.
I don't know how traditional it is.
But I love the taste, and it has a great kick to it.

Jeff(bigtikidude)