Zombie Punch

In 1934, immediately after the repeal of prohibition Donn Beach rented an old, 13 foot square, tailor’s shop in Hollywood, kitted it out with artefacts from his Polynesian travels, along with driftwood and fishing floats washed up on the beach, and opened a bar, ‘Don the Beachcomber’, offering unique tropical cocktails. It was an instant hit. Thus began the Tiki revolution.

“We are all escapists at heart. The way of the islands is conducive to good living. Ninety-five percent of us are really beachcombers, and I just supply the ingredients and atmosphere.”

Donn Beach

A maestro of the cocktail shaker, one of his most infamous potions was the Zombie. The story goes that Donn spontaneously created it as a hangover cure for one of his regulars heading for an important meeting. Asked a few days later if it had worked the gent replied:

“I felt like the living dead, it made a zombie out of me.”

Beach was notoriously secretive, writing his recipes down in code, premixing some of his tinctures and keeping them behind the bar in plain, unmarked bottles. Even his staff were uncertain what they were using. However, due to the recent discovery of a little black book, belonging to Beachcomber staff member Dick Santiago, by researcher Jeff ‘Beachbum’ Berry, called by the New York Times ‘Indiana Jones of Tiki drinks’, we have a good idea just what poison made up a Zombie.

“If you can’t get to paradise, I’ll bring it to you.”

Donn Beach

The Zombie is not really a true punch, it far too lethal. It includes three strong rums and absinthe or Pernod. Due to its potency, customers at Don the Beachcomber were limited to 2 drinks per session. Any more and you might join the ranks of the living dead.

Zombie Punch recipe

This is a scaled up, slightly simplified take on Donn Beach’s original. You may not be able to source all the rums specified but see what you can find. They should all be strong and importantly, in true Tiki style, there absolutely must be three different ones.

250 ml Jamaican rum
250 ml Puerto Rican rum
125 ml overproof demerara rum (eg Hamilton 151° )
125 ml lime juice
75 ml Falernum (page 302)
50 ml grapefruit juice
25 ml cinnamon syrup (see below)
25 ml grenadine
10 dashes absinthe or Pernod
5 dashes Angostura bitters

To make cinnamon syrup, slowly heat 150 g sugar and 150 ml water with a crushed cinnamon stick until the sugar dissolves. Let it stand overnight, occasionally shaking, then strain into a Mason Jar. Store in the fridge with an airtight lid on. If you want to make ‘Don’s Mix’ add grapefruit juice measuring twice the volume of the syrup. Replace the sum of the volumes of grapefruit juice and syrup in the recipe with this. However note it will not keep as long, even in the fridge.

Blend everything in a liquidiser. Ideally make up the cocktail the day before and store in a bottle or jar in the fridge to get really cold. Throw a handful of crushed ice into a punch bowl and pour the punch over it. Scatter a couple of sprigs of fresh mint on top.

If you want to get well Zombified take a food-safe talc-free disposable glove. Fill with water tinted with a splash of grenadine. Freeze overnight. Before you serve the punch, peel away the glove and embed the ‘zombie ice hand’ in the drink. Shake the cold hand of death.