IBA
Zombie – IBA
Blend ∙ 4 min ∙ 23.1% ABV ∙
The Zombie is an IBA tiki cocktail blending three rums with lime, falernum, grapefruit-cinnamon Donn's Mix, grenadine, bitters, and a hint of Pernod. Layers of dark rum funk and warm spice ride over a bright grapefruit-lime tartness, with a faint anise whisper trailing into a long, boozy finish.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Blend all ingredients with cracked ice: Jamaican aged rum 45 mlLight gold rum 45 mlWhite rum 30 mlLime juice 20 mlFalernum liqueur 15 mlDonn’s Mix 15 mlGrenadine syrup 5 mlAngostura aromatic bitters 1 dashPernod 3 dashes
- Pulse blend for a few seconds
- Pour into the tall tumbler glass
- Garnish with a mint sprig
- Note: Donn’s Mix: 2 parts of fresh yellow grapefruit and 1 part of cinnamon syrup
Tips
- Pulse-blend with cracked ice for only a few seconds — over-blending waters down the layered rums into a slushy mess.
- Pre-chill the tiki mug before pouring so the blended drink doesn't lose its chill on contact.
- Measure the Pernod in dashes, not pours — a few extra dashes overwhelm the rum and grapefruit balance.
- Make the Donn's Mix (grapefruit juice and cinnamon syrup) ahead of time so the blend comes together in one quick pass.
History
The Zombie – IBA is the International Bartenders Association's official specification of the classic tiki Zombie, added to the IBA's list of official cocktails in 2020. Its multi-rum, blended build follows the elaborate, syrup-and-juice-laden style of the original rather than the simplified two-rum versions that later became common in home bars.
The parent Zombie itself was invented by Donn Beach at his Don the Beachcomber restaurant in Hollywood in 1934, and was popularized on the East Coast after being served at the 1939 New York World's Fair. Beach guarded the recipe closely for decades, doling out ingredients under code names, so the exact original formula was only reconstructed much later by tiki historian Jeff "Beachbum" Berry through research into old bar manuals and interviews with former employees. The IBA's version reflects that reconstructed, ingredient-rich original rather than the pared-down interpretations that spread after the drink's early fame.
FAQ
What is in a Zombie cocktail?
A Zombie is three rums (Jamaican aged, light gold Puerto Rican, and white Demerara) blended with lime juice, falernum liqueur, Donn's Mix (grapefruit juice and cinnamon syrup), grenadine, Angostura bitters, and a few dashes of Pernod. It is blended with cracked ice and served in a tiki mug with a mint sprig.
How do you make a Zombie cocktail?
Pre-chill a tiki mug, then blend all the ingredients together with cracked ice for just a few seconds in short pulses rather than a continuous run. Pour the drink into the chilled mug and garnish with a mint sprig. The brief pulse-blend chills and combines the rums without over-diluting them.
Why is it called a Zombie cocktail?
The name is commonly said to come from its strength: as tiki lore tells it, a bar patron who tried one returned the next day complaining it had turned him into a walking zombie. The drink's high combined rum content, at roughly 23% ABV, backs up the reputation for potency.
