The Zombie is one of the great Tiki monsters, a layered, dangerous, completely transporting cocktail. Naught's version is gin-forward rather than rum-forward, anchored on our Naught Barrel Aged Gin and Naught Australian Dry Gin, with our own falernum, pineapple, lime, and a small pour of dark rum for backbone. Topped with a flaming passionfruit half. Two is the legal limit.
INGREDIENTS:
- 35ml Naught Barrel Aged Gin
- 30ml Naught Australian Dry Gin
- 10ml Dark Rum
- 45ml Pineapple Juice
- 20ml Lime Juice
- 20ml Naught Falernum
- 10ml Grenadine
- 1 Barspoon Absinthe
- 1 Dash Angostura Bitters
GARNISH:
- Pineapple Leaf
- Half a Passionfruit
- Naught Overproof Gin (to flame)
INSTRUCTIONS:
Add all of the ingredients to a shaker with ice and shake hard for 15 seconds.
Fine strain into a tiki glass over fresh crushed ice.
To finish, garnish with a pineapple leaf, then float half a passionfruit on top, fill the passionfruit hollow with Naught Overproof Gin and set it alight at the table.
The Zombie: a quick history
The Zombie was invented in 1934 by Donn Beach, the founding father of Tiki, at his Hollywood bar Don the Beachcomber. The original recipe was a closely guarded secret. Donn would batch his syrups in coded bottles labelled with numbers, so even his own bartenders didn't know exactly what they were pouring. The cocktail was so potent he famously limited customers to two per visit, posted on a sign above the bar.
The original recipe was lost for decades and only reverse-engineered in 2007 by Tiki historian Jeff "Beachbum" Berry from a coded notebook left by one of Donn's bartenders. Our version takes the Tiki blueprint, layered spirits, falernum, citrus, grenadine, absinthe, and a flaming garnish, but pivots the base to gin, using Naught Barrel Aged and Australian Dry to carry the cocktail with more structure and complexity than rum alone.
You'll also love
- Naught Saturn, another gin-led Tiki classic with passionfruit and orgeat
- Singapore Sling, the pre-Tiki tropical sling from 1915 Raffles
- Gina Colada, our gin twist on the Pina Colada
Frequently asked questions
What is a Zombie cocktail?
The Zombie is a Tiki cocktail invented in 1934 by Donn Beach at his Hollywood bar Don the Beachcomber. The classic version is layered with rum, fruit juices, falernum, grenadine, absinthe, and bitters. Naught's version is gin-forward, built on our Barrel Aged and Australian Dry gins.
Why does Naught's Zombie use gin instead of rum?
Tiki was built on rum because rum was cheap and plentiful in the Caribbean. With native botanical gins now in play, gin gives the Zombie more structure and a drier finish without losing the Tiki spirit. Our Barrel Aged Gin brings the depth that aged rum would, and the Australian Dry holds the citrus together.
What is falernum?
Falernum is a low-strength Caribbean liqueur made with lime, almond, ginger, clove, and rum. It is one of the defining sweeteners of Tiki and gives the Zombie its warm spice character. Naught makes its own falernum in-house.
Why is the Zombie set on fire?
The flaming passionfruit half is pure Tiki theatre. Naught Overproof Gin is high-strength enough to ignite cleanly and burn off the alcohol while the warm passionfruit caramelises slightly, releasing aroma into the drink. It also looks the part.
