Zombie

The Zombie is the original rum bomb — a tiki landmark Donn Beach poured at his Hollywood Don the Beachcomber in late 1934, stacking three rums beneath lime, falernum, grapefruit-and-cinnamon Donn's Mix, grenadine, bitters, and a whisper of Pernod. Its fruit-forward charm hides a brutal proof, which is why Beach famously rationed guests to two. He guarded the build in coded, numbered bottles for decades; the modern consensus spec here is the reconstruction that emerged once the recipe was finally decoded.

TikiTropicalClassicSpirit-Forward

Ingredients

  • 1.5 ozJamaican Rum
  • 1.5 ozAged Rum(gold Puerto Rican)
  • 1 ozDemerara Rum
  • 0.75 ozLime Juice(fresh)
  • 0.5 ozFalernum
  • 0.33 ozGrapefruit Juice(part of Donn's Mix)
  • 0.17 ozCinnamon Syrup(part of Donn's Mix)
  • 1 tspGrenadine
  • 1 dashAngostura Bitters(Angostura)
  • 6 dropAnise Liqueur(Pernod)

Garnish: Mint Sprig

Preparation

Blended · Tall tumbler · Crushed

  1. 1.

    add

    Add all ingredients — the three rums, lime juice, falernum, grapefruit juice, cinnamon syrup, grenadine, Angostura bitters, and Pernod — to an electric blender.

  2. 2.

    blend

    Add about 170 g (roughly 6 oz) of cracked ice and pulse-blend for a few seconds until just combined and frothy — do not over-blend.

  3. 3.

    build

    Pour unstrained into a tall tumbler glass, served on the rocks.

  4. 4.

    garnish

    Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint.

Flavor Profile

dilution
53%
body
45%
fruity
36%
sweet
35%
funky
29%
viscosity
28%
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