With Halloween fast approaching, this classic cocktail seems like an obvious choice for any spooky s...
ZombieCocktail recipe
Rating
Microbadges
Highball glass
Ingredients
Can you make this?
Add the ingredients you have at home to your My Bar and we'll show you what cocktails you can make. Start off by adding the ingredients you have for this cocktail using the plus icons.
Cocktail Colin says:
The Zombie cocktail, a beloved tiki treasure, dazzles with its hearty mix of rums—gold, Jamaican, and white—which form a robust and intoxicating backbone that's both complex and intriguing. The addition of lime juice cuts through the richness, offering a refreshing zest, while the understated sweetness from grenadine and the faintly aromatic spice from falernum and aniseed liqueur elevate the drink to a symphony of tropical flavors that's dangerously easy to sip.
Method
How to make a Zombie
-
- Add all the ingredients to a blender with ice and blend until smooth
-
- Pour into a highball glass
-
- Garnish with a sprig of mint and serve
Power tips
Elevate the Zombie with these master mixologist tips
Upgrade to premium
And receive world class tips on how to raise your cocktails to the next level.
Find out more- Use freshly squeezed lime juice to bring out the natural tartness and balance the cocktail's sweetness.
- Make your own grenadine using pomegranate juice and sugar for a more authentic and less syrupy sweetness.
- Subscribe to premium to receive even more power tips on this cocktail.
Zombie masterclass
Master the craft of the Zombie cocktail with one of our cocktail deep dive masterclasses
Your private tasting notes
Can you make this?
Add the ingredients you have at home to your My Bar and we'll show you what cocktails you can make. Start off by adding the ingredients you have for this cocktail using the plus icons.
Featured in
Cocktails enhance special occasions, none more so than at Halloween! Just imagine, in a forgotten town, Count Vlad hosts a...
FAQ's
What is the origin of the Zombie cocktail?
The Zombie cocktail was originally concocted by Donn Beach in the late 1930s at his Hollywood restaurant, Don the Beachcomber. It gained popularity after being showcased at the 1939 New York World's Fair. It's known for its potent combination of various rums and tropical ingredients, designed to give it a powerful kick.
Why is it called a Zombie?
The cocktail is named 'Zombie' because of the effect it supposedly had on patrons who drank it. According to cocktail lore, Donn Beach originally created the drink for a customer who was hungover and needed to attend a business meeting. The customer later returned, complaining that the drink had left him feeling like a zombie. The name stuck due to the cocktail's strong effects on those who consume it.
Can I make a non-alcoholic version of the Zombie?
Yes, a non-alcoholic version of the Zombie, often referred to as a 'Virgin Zombie,' can be made by substituting the alcoholic ingredients with non-alcoholic alternatives. For example, you can use non-alcoholic rum flavoring or a blend of fruit juices in place of the rums, and omit any liqueurs. The key is to mimic the fruitiness and spiciness of the original cocktail.
What is falernum, and is there a substitute for it in the Zombie cocktail?
Falernum is a sweet syrup used in Caribbean and tropical drinks, containing flavors of almond, ginger, lime, and sometimes clove or allspice. It's a key ingredient in many tiki cocktails including the Zombie. If falernum is not available, a homemade syrup made from almond extract, ginger syrup, lime juice, and a touch of clove could serve as a substitute, capturing the essence of falernum's flavor profile.
Why do some Zombie cocktail recipes vary in ingredients and quantities?
The Zombie cocktail has many variations, primarily because Donn Beach was very secretive about his original recipe and often changed the ingredients to prevent others from copying it precisely. As a result, bartenders and enthusiasts have created their versions based on taste and interpretation of what a Zombie should be. This has led to diversity in the recipes available, with each offering a different experience of the classic cocktail.
Upgrade your mixology
Become a member for free taking your cocktail making skills up to level 11. Or become a premium member to rise to cocktail greatness.
- Save your bar forever
- Access to our Cocktail Creator, allowing you to create your own wonderful concoctions.
- Create personalised cocktail menus for all your events, bars or parties
- Save cocktails to personalised 'Tried' and 'Want to try' lists
- Create and record tasting notes on cocktails
- Create lists of cocktails to share with friends and family
- A personalised MyBar URL, allowing you to share everything you can make with friends
- And much more ... (what to buy next, measurement choices, search personalisation...)
Create your own cocktail menu!
Use our interactive cocktail menu creator for free, and create wonderful looking cocktail menus for your next party, gathering or bar.
Great looking pre-built designed themes, group your cocktails, choose what to show on them and a host more options.
Get creatingYou might also like
Rum Louis
The Rum Louis cocktail is a tantalizing blend of tropical flavors with a balance of citrus and sweetness. It features...
Bahia
The Bahia cocktail is a tropical and creamy drink that embodies the essence of a beachside retreat with its refreshing...
El Floridita Daiquiri
The El Floridita Daiquiri is a refreshing, citrus-forward cocktail hailing from the renowned El Floridita bar in Havana, Cuba, which...
Royal Bermuda Yacht Club
The Royal Bermuda Yacht Club cocktail is a refreshing and tropical libation, a testament to the sun-soaked leisure of Bermuda's...
Create a cocktail
Choose a theme and some ingredients, give us some description and we'll create an amazing cocktail for you.
Register as a Premium Make Me a Cocktail community member and get access to an even more powerful creator.
Start creatingBuild your bar
Tell us what you have at home and we’ll find a delicious cocktail for you to make right now.
Register as a Make Me a Cocktail community member and we’ll save your ingredients list so you can come back to it at any time.
Create My Bar
Comments
No comments yet…
You need to be a user with a verified email to comment on cocktails. Login / register