What are your preferred rums in a 1934 Zombie?

Hey everybody...

The reason I ask is because the Zombies I've been making here at home have been a bit on the uh... bitter side. They don't completely suck, but I've had some 1934 Zombies at bars that know how to make these and they are way better. I suspect that it's the rums I'm using because the other ingredients (including homemade grenadine and Don's Mix) are followed to-the-T as dictated by the recipe. The gold Puerto Rican rum I'm using is Bacardi Gold, the Jamaican is Appleton Estate Special, and the 151 is Lemon Hart. In the past I've also used Myer's and Appleton Estate VX. I'm thinking that maybe the Puerto Rican gold is where my trouble is at. I was just over at Atomic Grog looking over a Zombie article that suggested Bacardi 8, Bacardi Añejo, Don Q Añejo, and Ron Barrilito as the preferred Puerto Rican gold. Maybe I should try one of those. Thoughts anybody?

Try:

1 1/2 Ron de Barrilito 3 Star
(Puerto Rican)

1 1/4 Appleton Signature or Appleton V/X (Plantation Xaymaca would probably be good too but haven't tried it)
1/4 Smith & Cross
(Collectively the Jamaican)

I can't speak from experience on the overproof Demerara as I still use old tan label LH151 in Zombies, but I've heard that the Ed Hamilton is better than the current (new'ish) Lemon Hart, which is just so-so.

You can also try cutting the Pernod/Herbsaint to 3 or 4 drops, that's probably contributing more to bitterness than the rums.

[ Edited by: rangda 2018-12-02 20:47 ]

[ Edited by: rangda 2018-12-02 20:48 ]

I second the Ron del Barrilito recommendation for the gold PR. Bacardi 8 year is a close second.

I read on a now-defunct rum blog about a guy who got to visit Steve Remsberg's collection that Lownde's Jamaican was Don's preferred pour for the zombie back in the day. They found that equal parts Smith & Cross and Meyer's came close to how it tasted, so I use that now.

I'm all about Hamilton 151 for my overproof demerara now. It's 5 bucks cheaper than Lemon Hart, and I'm getting tired of LH's unreliability and fiddling with the formula.

Just based on what has previously been in my bar cabinet, I've typically used:

Bacardi 8/Coruba Dark/Hamilton 151 (or Lemon Hart 151 red), or
Cruzan Aged/Coruba Dark/Hamilton 151 (or Lemon Hart 151 red).

Pretty basic, sure, but they taste great.

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[ Edited by: kkocka 2018-12-03 11:11 ]

I've been doing 2oz of Plantation Xaymaca + 1.5 oz Plantation OFTD. The combo covers all the bases for dry, rich, fruity, funk and age. Flavor Town.

Not sure why lesser rums would cause a ‘bitter’ flavor. Do you just mean harsh? If you feel like it’s overly bitter, I’d say the problem is your fruit. Are you using fresh fruit?
The gold is the most negligible rum in a zombie imho. I use Flor De Cana, but a lesser gold shouldn’t ruin a zombie if the other rums are good; it’s more for balance. The best 151 being sold now is Hamilton imho. For a dark I use Appleton 12 or a mix of El Dorado 12 & Smith & Cross.

Thanks to all for the input, totally informative. I think I'll start by using the Ron del Barrilito rum and cutting back on the Pernod and see where that takes me. Probably won't get to this until the weekend. In the future, when I'm done with the bottle of Lemon Hart that I have I'll try the Hamilton 151.

On 2018-12-03 14:28, happy buddha wrote:
Not sure why lesser rums would cause a ‘bitter’ flavor. Do you just mean harsh? If you feel like it’s overly bitter, I’d say the problem is your fruit. Are you using fresh fruit?

Yeah...maybe 'harsh' is a better way to describe it. Like one of the rums is too 'loud' and there's too much of a straight up alcohol flavor. As far as fruit, yeah I always squeeze fresh lime juice for any cocktail that requires it. I never use Rose's or any other bottled lime juice.

On 2018-12-03 18:19, donhonyc wrote:
Thanks to all for the input, totally informative. I think I'll start by using the Ron del Barrilito rum and cutting back on the Pernod and see where that takes me. Probably won't get to this until the weekend. In the future, when I'm done with the bottle of Lemon Hart that I have I'll try the Hamilton 151.

On 2018-12-03 14:28, happy buddha wrote:
Not sure why lesser rums would cause a ‘bitter’ flavor. Do you just mean harsh? If you feel like it’s overly bitter, I’d say the problem is your fruit. Are you using fresh fruit?

Yeah...maybe 'harsh' is a better way to describe it. Like one of the rums is too 'loud' and there's too much of a straight up alcohol flavor. As far as fruit, yeah I always squeeze fresh lime juice for any cocktail that requires it. I never use Rose's or any other bottled lime juice.

I finally managed to score a bottle of the Hamilton 151, and Hooboy, it was worth the effort. I think it's my favorite overproof yet. Deep, dark, murky, and delicious. I made a Jet Pilot tonight with the 151, the Jamaican Pot Still Black, and a Cruzan Single Barrel. It was glorious.

I just looked at the recipe in the 10th anniversary edition of Sippin' Safari, and the Bum mentions that, per Steve Remsberg, the Lowndes Jamaican in the original recipe was a dark (corroborating PalmtreePat's comment above), not a gold as he'd suggested as a substitute in his previously published versions, so I just made one with gold Cruzan (the Bum's suggested replacement for Puerto Rican rums), Coruba, and Lemon Hart 151, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

On 2018-12-05 20:52, Hamo wrote:
I just looked at the recipe in the 10th anniversary edition of Sippin' Safari, and the Bum mentions that, per Steve Remsberg, the Lowndes Jamaican in the original recipe was a dark (corroborating PalmtreePat's comment above), not a gold as he'd suggested as a substitute in his previously published versions, so I just made one with gold Cruzan (the Bum's suggested replacement for Puerto Rican rums), Coruba, and Lemon Hart 151, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Coruba is definitely a good choice for any recipe that needs a dark Jamaican. It might not always be the perfect pour for the job, but it will never let you down either. It's the first thing I reach for for zombies when I'm out of my Lownde's blend.