The origins of tiki cocktails go back to 1934, when the new bar concept Don the Beachcomber opened its doors in Hollywood. The bar was filled with palm trees and seashells that the founder, Ernest Gantt, gathered while traveling abroad in the Caribbean and the South Pacific. The Zombie was one of Gantt’s earliest and most popular creations. Legend has it that he created this THREE-RUM cocktail to help a hungover customer; it gained icon status instantly. Using aged Zacapa, keeps the flavor intact with a slightly lower ABV (Alcohol By Volume)
Ingredients
CINNAMON SYRUP
3 (3″) cinnamon sticks, crushed
1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
1 cup water
6 oz. crushed ice, plus more
1 1/2 oz. white or dark rum to taste
1 1/2 oz. white rum (such as Bacardi)
3/4 oz. fresh lime juice
1/2 oz. Velvet Falernum
3/4 oz. grapefruit juice
2 dashes of Angostura bitters
1 oz. aged rum (such as Zacapa)
Grapefruit wedge, lime wedge, and a maraschino cherry, for garnish
STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS
Fill a small pot with cinnamon, sugar, and water. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring frequently, until the sugar is dissolved. Reduce the heat to low and bring everything to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes, then remove from the heat. Let sit for 2 hours.
Strain cinnamon mixture into a clean glass jar or bottle. The cinnamon syrup can be refrigerated for up to 3 months.
Fill a tall glass with crushed ice and place in the freezer until ready to use. You’ll want to make sure your glass is cold. In a cocktail shaker, combine overproof rum, white rum, lime juice, Velvet Falernum, grapefruit juice, bitters, and 3/4 oz. cinnamon syrup. Fill the shaker with ice, cover, and vigorously shake until the outside of the shaker is very frosty, about 20 seconds.
Add more crushed ice to the prepared glass, if needed, to fill it up. Strain the cocktail into the cold glass. Pour some aged rum into a jigger (this gives you the best control), then very slowly pour over the cocktail to create a layered effect.
