Rum per Zombie

Rum for Zombies: the original recipe

The Zombie has been part of IBA's Contemporary Classics Cocktail since February 2020 (International Bartenders Association) and is therefore one of the most famous international rum-based cocktails, although less known than the Daiquiri and Mojito. Despite the recent recognition, it is a cocktail with a long history that originated in the USA in the early 30s when Ernest Raymond Beaumont Gantt opened the “Don the Beachcomber” venue in Hollywood.

To wealthy customers, including Hollywood stars, Enest began serving - along with exotic cuisine - long drinks a base di rum, fruit, syrups and spices. The "Tiki" cocktails were born, which were served in long decorated glasses. The Zombie cocktail it became part of this newborn category, enjoying immediate success. Given the very high alcohol content, some legends were born around the Zombie Cocktail, fueled by the same "Don Beach" who had it proposed by the waiters as a "repairer of broken dreams", reporting on the menu the ban on drinking more than one.

How to drink the zombie cocktail

The Zombie has been considered an almost mysterious cocktail for many years, being composed not only largely of rum, but also of two secret ingredients of "Don Beach", its creator: Falernum and Don's mix. Over the years these special ingredients have been codified: the Don 'mix according to the IBA is made up of 2 parts of fresh yellow grapefruit and 1 part of cinnamon syrup; Falernum still has a not very defined profile, but it is a mix made with rum, cloves, lime peel, almond flour, ginger, sugar: here you will find an interpretation.

But the key ingredient of the Zombie Cocktail is undoubtedly the rum, which comes in three versions, including an overproof (by over 50%). Also pay attention to the quantity of ice of which - as in almost all “Tiki” cocktails - the weight is also coded, in this case in 170 grams. For the preparation, all the ingredients are inserted, including ice with the warning to use an electric blender at low speed, being careful not to create a frozen cocktail and therefore too creamy. It is therefore a question of mixing all the ingredients and then serving the Zombie cocktail in a tall tumbler glass. The garnish is made with mint leaves.

The perfect Zombie cocktail: the ingredients

Here are the ingredients indicated by the IBA (International Bartenders Association), although there are many variations, which concern the types of rum used and the quantities of rum:

4,5 cl of Puerto Rican or Cuban gold rum

4,5 cl of Jamaican dark rum

3 cl di rum Demerara overproof

2 cl of fresh lime juice

Cl 1,5 gods Falemum

1,5 cl di Don’s mix

1 teaspoon of grenadine

Angostura bitters

Pernod

170 grams of ice

Where to buy Rum

For the choice of rum for a great Zombie, we usually orient ourselves towards amber rums of Cuban origin as the Matusalem Rum Solera 7 years. For the Demerara, we would like to recommend the Rum Special Reserve El Dorado 15 Anni

There are various web shops where buy Zombie Cocktail Rum, but we recommend doing it on Amazon. Fast shipping, guaranteed and above all you will never risk losing your money. Payments are always insured and if you do register with Amazon Prime, you can receive the Rum at the best price on the web and especially without unnecessary shipping costs.