Nadia George
May 02, 2024
IBA (International Bartenders Association) cocktails are legendary because they have stood the test of time and continue to be enjoyed all over the world. One of them is the Zombie, presumed to have first appeared at American adventurer and businessman Donn Beach's Polynesian-themed restaurant.
Don the Beachcomber created this for a hung-over customer who, upon drinking it, exclaimed, "I felt like the living dead; it made a zombie out of me." Over the years, people and bartenders have come up with their own renditions that come very close to the original cocktail.
45 ml of Jamaican dark rum, 45 ml of Gold Puerto Rican rum, 30 ml of demerara Rum, 20 ml of fresh lime juice, 15 ml of falernum, 15 ml Donn’s Mix (2 parts fresh yellow grapefruit juice and 1 part of cinnamon syrup), 1 tsp of grenadine syrup. A dash of Angostura bitters. 6 drops of Pernod, Mint leaves for garnish
Cocktail shaker to mix all the ingredients with ice, Jigger for precise measurements of spirits and other ingredients, Bar spoon for stirring, Kitchen scale to measure ice, Electric blender to blend the cocktail , Tall tumbler glass or a zombie glass, A lighter for flaming the cocktail (optional)
Add all the ingredients to a blender along with 170 grams of cracked ice. Blend everything using the pulse setting. The aim here is to create crushed ice. Serve in a tall glass and garnish with mint sprigs.
If you're unable to find cinnamon-infused syrup in stores, you can simply make it at home. Take 2 cups of water, 4 cups of granulated sugar, and two cinnamon sticks. Bring the water to a boil in a saucepan and add the cinnamon, followed by the sugar. Keep stirring until all of the sugar dissolves. Strain the syrup through a cheesecloth and transfer it into a sterilised jar.