New ebook -- Professor Cocktail’s Zombie Horde: Recipes for the World’s Most Lethal Drink

On 2013-10-31 11:20, Sunny&Rummy wrote:
Thirsty Tiki People Want to know. . . David, did you draw a winner for the BG Reynolds giveaway contest yet?!?

Thanks for the reminder -- I need to post the winner's name on the website. He's been notified, but I'm not sure if he's on here or not.

It was Paul Pimentel of Portland, Oregon.

On 2013-11-01 03:55, swizzle wrote:
What is it that makes a Zombie a Zombie?

That's a good question!

"Zombie" has basically become shorthand for a strong rum drink, usually with fruit juice. But since that includes most rum drinks, it's not very useful.

I would say that in order to be a Zombie, a drink needs: a lot of rum, preferably including overproof rum; fruit juice(s) of some type; and spices of some type. And as mentioned above, it really ought to be served in a chimney glass.

I'm not sure you can narrow it down any more than that.

i agree with that djmont. one feature of the DtB 34 zombie punch that i've discarded is the grapefruit. i find it more important and prominent in the navy grog, and using it in the zombie muddles the distinction btw the two drinks, imo.

i still feel the maiKai 151 swizzle is really a zombie-- its got strong rum, some juice, and plenty of spices (falernum, angostura, cinnamon stick).

Grapefruit is a key feature in all the Zombie recipes, so I can't condone omitting it under any circumstance. If you don't have white grapefruit juice on hand make a different drink.

its not in the spievak. not in the duffy. daresay likely omitted in quite a few other versions, i would htink.

It's central to the '34 and the Aku Aku, which stand head and shoulders above the rest of the pack.

Generally speaking, I'm not much of a fan of grapefruit juice. If you want that Don the Beachcomber Zombie flavor, though, I think it's essential. I do, however, usually cut it back a little. (If I'm not using pre-made Don'x Mix.)

I'm not a fan of grapefruit either and the recipe by David Embury doesn't use it and i love that version. A world renowned bar here that has now closed used to make an amazing one which didn't have grapefruit juice either.

On 2013-11-03 14:28, swizzle wrote:
I'm not a fan of grapefruit either and the recipe by David Embury doesn't use it and i love that version. A world renowned bar here that has now closed used to make an amazing one which didn't have grapefruit juice either.

Maybe if they had used grapefruit they would still be open. . . :wink:

White grapefruit juice is honestly a funny ingredient for me as well. I like the flavor but it can overpower certain drinks for me. I'm a huge Donga Punch fan, but even with an assertive rhum agricole I usually go 1:1 grapefruit to cinnamon syrup in the Don's Mix rather than the 2:1 the original formulation calls for. On the other hand, four ounces of grapefruit in a Reverb Crash brings a great balance to that drink, so I think it really comes down to a case by case basis how much is the right amount.

Since we've detoured to grapefruit juice for a moment, I'd like to point out that there's the whole white/pink grapefruit issue out there. I bought a house with an awesome pink grapefruit tree, it doesn't get any fresher than that tree-ripened stuff for me, and it's free. I've been using pink alot, and some in the cocktail world actually look down on that. I think it's primarily because (so they have told me) the pink stuff is sweeter than the white. I haven't observed that myself, and I don't think it's a huge deal, but then again I've been using my own fresh pink stuff so much that I'm not a good judge of pink vs white at the moment. Anyone have some thoughts and personal experience they'd like to share about pink vs white?

I find the pink grapefruit we get in Florida to be very noticeably sweeter than white grapefruit juice. Then again, in a good season we can only get fresh white grapefruit for 2-3 months out of the year, so being a stickler for white grapefruit juice dooms me to store-bought bottled stuff for most of the year.

I've never compared them -- we pretty much have to resort to the bottled stuff here -- but I think the complaints are the additional sweetness in the pink and the fact that the color muddies up the drink.

I find that, for me, the citrus in a cocktail can easily overpower everything else. I don't know if my palate is more sensitive to the acidity and/or bitterness, or whether I don't just care for it, or what. So I usually cut back on the citrus in any drink I make. I use 3/4 oz. in Mai Tais, Daiquiris, Margaritas, etc.

Don's original Zombie recipe only has 1/3 oz. of grapefruit juice in it, but if I'm mixing completely from scratch, I'll go 1/4 oz. grapefruit and 1/4 oz. cinnamon syrup. I find that you still get that bitterness the grapefruit brings, but you don't taste too much of it.

Thanks djmont and Sunny&Rummy, good info. I have used the white bottled grapefruit juice in the past and, just like orange juice, it's pasteurized and takes on a weird flavor and texture - even more so if it's made from concentrate. I will have to find some fresh white grapefruit and compare side-by-side with pink grapefruit juice. It seems now that I will also find pink is sweeter as others have reported. As to how pink juice muddies up a drink color, that's a very good point. Can't remember drink recipes having a whole lot of grapefruit juice though, so maybe that's only a big concern for grapefruit-centric recipes.

By the way, I mentioned elsewhere a few weeks (months?) ago that I freeze my fresh-squeezed juices from my trees so that I can have them during the off-season. I haven't really noticed a change in flavor due to freezing. The whole freezing thing has lead to me having acquired quite a collection of ice cube trays now - silicone, plastic, big spheres, small cubes, big cubes, etc.

You just can't beat fresh-squeezed juice from tree-ripened fruit!

Speaking of chimney glasses, does anyone have a good source for buying a proper one? Like, can you find them at Ikea or something? My vintage supply (courtesy of my parents) is now gone.

I have some Libbey ones that are good. I think I ordered them from Amazon.

Don't overlook your local Cost Plus / World Market store. They sometimes have a surprising selection of glassware in their bar supplies area.

Also, don't overlook places like Ross, TJ Maxx, and Marshall's who also carry odd assortments of glassware, often from the same manufacturers. (I once came out of Ross with two huge glass beer boots - those are great fun to show up with at friends parties!)

And here's another interesting tidbit -- TJ Maxx and Marshall's have seasonally been carrying specialty bar tools and supplies at deeply discounted prices. So don't overlook the bar supply areas in these discount stores - it can be quite an adventure. There is some mixology gold to be found in these places on occasion. Start looking at the end of winter and early spring for the new stuff, but they seem to have things of interest year-round. My experience has been that your chances are pretty good that you'll get the first pick of some great stuff. The typical shoppers at these stores are not the sophisticated savages that we all are.

I need to post the winner's name on the website. He's been notified, but I'm not sure if he's on here or not. It was Paul Pimentel of Portland, Oregon.

Ack, I've been outed! :wink:

You've been a member since 2004! Your liver must be shot by now. :)

On 2013-11-04 13:07, Rum Balls wrote:

I need to post the winner's name on the website. He's been notified, but I'm not sure if he's on here or not. It was Paul Pimentel of Portland, Oregon.

Ack, I've been outed! :wink:

Congrats Rum Balls!

I've always wondered about this and pretty much stopped buying OJ after i read this article. I'm sure it applies to bottled grapefruit juice too.

http://www.foodrenegade.com/secret-ingredient-your-orange-juice/

On 2013-11-04 16:24, swizzle wrote:
I've always wondered about this and pretty much stopped buying OJ after i read this article. I'm sure it applies to bottled grapefruit juice too.

http://www.foodrenegade.com/secret-ingredient-your-orange-juice/

WTF.

On 2013-11-04 16:24, swizzle wrote:
I've always wondered about this and pretty much stopped buying OJ after i read this article. I'm sure it applies to bottled grapefruit juice too.

http://www.foodrenegade.com/secret-ingredient-your-orange-juice/

Holy carp, Batman! That article makes a lot of sense. But it's not only the flavor that I have trouble with -- it's the color and texture of the store-bought stuff. Real orange juice is fairly transparent and nicely colored when you spill it. The store-bought stuff seems to have a milky-white base to it which looks entirely different from fresh home-squeezed juice if you compare spills side-by-side.

On top of that, there is a large "flavor factory" here in my city which manufactures and sells esters to food producers. Some of these esters are purchased by our local rum producer/importer/bottler - one of the largest rum sellers in the world. They also use esters to flavor- and smell-enhance some or all of their products. This seems to be a dirty little secret which we, the consumer, are not really aware of.

Thanks for posting that link. I remain committed to squeezing my own fresh stuff whenever possible.

I just wanted to say I love the book! I ordered some Lemon Hart online and I can't wait for it to get here so I can try some recipes.

On a side note, I was surprised to see the post about Amestoy's on your page! I am from Bakersfield and its still a great dive.

Thanks, Corie! I appreciate that.

I lived in Bakersfield for over 20 years. Graduated from Highland and CSUB. I also taught at Bakersfield College for 6 years or so.

Enjoy those Zombies! :)

Hey! Plants, me thinks.....but nothing in the rules about that...damn....
OK welcome to TC new...plants.....

On 2013-11-04 05:59, djmont wrote:
I've never compared them -- we pretty much have to resort to the bottled stuff here -- but I think the complaints are the additional sweetness in the pink and the fact that the color muddies up the drink.

I find that, for me, the citrus in a cocktail can easily overpower everything else. I don't know if my palate is more sensitive to the acidity and/or bitterness, or whether I don't just care for it, or what. So I usually cut back on the citrus in any drink I make. I use 3/4 oz. in Mai Tais, Daiquiris, Margaritas, etc.

Don's original Zombie recipe only has 1/3 oz. of grapefruit juice in it, but if I'm mixing completely from scratch, I'll go 1/4 oz. grapefruit and 1/4 oz. cinnamon syrup. I find that you still get that bitterness the grapefruit brings, but you don't taste too much of it.

Downloaded the book from Amazon last week. Congratulations. Terrific work, a good read, and we feel like kids in the candy shop of Zombies! Now we're just trying to figure out what kind of a schedule to work through them all! Probably 2-4 a weekend will keep us busy for quite awhile.

If you have a Harris Teeter near by, they have a very good small batch, fresh squeezed, not processed or made shelf stable, pink grapefruit juice. They even have it in pint sized containers. It is a very good option. Almost as good as squeezing it yourself, and far better than any of the processed big name products. It has a short self life, but that that's to be expected for a product like this. It is a great add for Zombies and Navy Grogs.

We do have Harris Teeter -- thanks for the tip.

Are you a Mid-Atlantic boy?

After much research (hey, there are a lot of Zombies to try out), The Atomic Grog weighs in with an exhaustive review. Plus, what the hell, a whole new take on the history of the Zombie.

http://www.slammie.com/atomicgrog/blog/2013/11/27/zombies-regaining-critical-mass-new-e-book-features-86-deadly-recipes/

I compare the cocktail's rise and fall (and rise again) to the zombie movie genre's similar fate, and I analyze the book's 86 recipes. When you look at the table of contents as a timeline, it really does reflect how much the drink has taken off since Beachbum Berry discovered and published the Don the Beachcomber original in 2007.

Also included are a few recipes (that's Martin Cate's The Undead Gentleman above) plus a "Zombie face-off" that pits four notable versions of the drink in lethal combat.

In conclusion: Despite (or perhaps because of) the dedicated work of David Montgomery, it’s now clear that even more research is needed into every dark corner of Zombiedom. If that means subjecting myself to more recipes from Zombie Horde, so be it. It’s a scary job, but somebody has to do it.

Whoa…! That write-up is a book in itself, what dedicated research, HH ! Great work, the professor should be pleased.

Mahalo bigbro! We take our Zombies seriously here at The Atomic Grog. But I do admit that trying to write after drinking some of these mad creations does create a bit of a challenge.

Love it! Great job. And thanks for the kind words!

On 2013-11-11 07:45, djmont wrote:
We do have Harris Teeter -- thanks for the tip.

Are you a Mid-Atlantic boy?

Sorry, I lost track of my having posted on this thread.

Though I've been in Maryland for over twenty years now, I still call myself a New Englander.

Still working through your book. Aside from the DtB original Zombie, what are your 3 favorite versions that you cover in the book?

I give very high marks to Martin's Undead Gentleman. Still my favorite out of the 10 or so from the book I have made.

By popular demand... There is now a print edition of Professor Cocktail's Zombie Horde: Recipes for the World's Most Lethal Drink!

You can order it from Amazon, Amazon UK, and Amazon's other European stores. I'm planning to offer signed copies for sale myself once I get a shipment of the books in. Those will probably only be available for U.S. shipping.

Thanks for all your support! You guys (and gals) are the best.

Awesome. I spent about an hour the other night saving screen grabs and only got about halfway through. Now i'll just buy the book instead.

That definitely sounds easier. :)

In celebration of the release of my latest ebook, Professor Cocktail's Holiday Drinks: Recipes for Mixed Drinks and More, I'm running a sale on my Tiki ebook. For the next 2 days (starting right now, Sunday 12/8/2013), Professor Cocktail’s Zombie Horde: Recipes for the World’s Most Lethal Drink is available for only 99¢. After that, the price goes up to $1.99 for 2 days, and then returns to full price. So don't miss your chance! The reviews have been great and I think it's a lot of fun.

p.s. If you prefer a print edition, there's also one of those available for Zombie Horde. But it costs more.

I just ordered my copy (got the paper version) and am looking forward to a whole new round of "medical experiments." heh...

Got the Kindle versions...thanks.

A couple weeks back Dr. Coruba asked me what my 3 favorite recipes from the book are. Having scrambled with brain cells with one too many Zombie, I forgot to answer.

I think the original 1934 Don the Beachcomber version is my overall favorite. The flavors are just so amazing. When I think of what a Zombie should taste like, I think of that drink.

The Don the Beachcomber 1956 variation is also a favorite. I love drinks with pineapple juice in them, so this one really hits some nice notes for me. I also love falernum, so I usually up the quantity to 1/2 ounce. I also put more grenadine. 1/4 teaspoon hardly seems like enough to bother with, so I put 1/4 ounce. (The Founding Farmer's Chief's Zombie is a nice variation on this formula.)

If I had to pick just one more, I would echo the comments of those above and select Martin Cate's The Undead Gentleman. It's such an elegant variation, while still retaining that core Zombie flavor.

That being said, I find the different modern versions of the Haitian Zombie (as first shared by Charles Baker Jr. in 1939) to be quite tasty. They don't necessarily put me in mind of a Zombie, but they're good drinks.

David J. Montgomery
Author of Professor Cocktail's Zombie Horde: Recipes for the World's Most Lethal Drink

[ Edited by: djmont 2013-12-16 09:35 ]

Just a heads-up... If any of you are interested in my other cocktail book, Professor Cocktail's Holiday Drinks: Recipes for Mixed Drinks and More, it's currently free to download from Amazon. The offer runs from now until 12/20.

Mele Kalikimaka! :)

Thank you, David, for the freebie! I just downloaded it and had no problems opening and reading it. I don't have a Kindle, but their cloud reader was awesome. I think it took less than 60 seconds from the time I clicked on your link and had the book open. I do make specialty drinks for my Christmas guests, so this is something I'm looking forward to reading. Again, many thanks to you!

I received my hardcopy version of Zombie Horde a week or so ago and appreciate the research and hard work which you do. I thank you and my liver thanks you!

David, what a nice holiday treat! Just downloaded the holiday cocktail guide and will hopefully be digging into it as early as this evening!

Ho Ho Ho!

Thank you for the fine free e-book, it will make the holidays much more cheer- full!

3 down!

I tried the Hot Zombie (1941) first. It was a little strange, but not bad. I probably wouldn't make it again, though. Then I went with the original 1934 version. Delicious, of course. Next, I tried the Bum's simplified version. This was also really good! And since I already had Don's Mix, it was super easy to make (just 4 ingredients). I'll probably move on to the Undead Gentleman next, since it seems to be a favorite.

Professor: Congrats on the paperback release. I've updated my blog accordingly.

Thank you, Professor, for some inspired reading and, likely, drinking for the holidays... just downloaded the Kindle version of Zombie Horde to my iPhone and have followed up with a hardcopy order. While I'm sure that there were perks to doing the research, it undoubtedly took a lot of effort to put this together in a form we could so appreciate.

-Tom