Zombie

The Zombie is an American favorite, not only of lovers of C-grade cinema, but also of lushes and borderline alcoholics everywhere. This fruity, deceptively strong cocktail is particularly popular with college students wiling away their spring break hours in the Florida heat, soaking up the tropical climate that is so conducive to heavy drinking and unabashed inebriation.

The Bacardi 151 gives each drink the kick that kicks back. This is one of the strongest liquors around, other than White Lightning (which is 200 proof, or 100% alcohol, and nothing is stronger than that) and undoubtedly the strongest rum you can buy at 75½ proof… other than the other brands of 151 rum. Do be careful when handling any 151 rum (or White Lightning), as they are all extremely flammable, which can be either amusing or tragic, but rarely both.

For more mature cocktail parties that you want to start off with a bang, serve your guests one—and I mean one—of these cocktails, then serve them some nonalcoholic punch or soft drinks to give the drink time to do its work, and then to give your guests time to recover before loosing them on the bar again. Be warned: if you fail to take this advice and keep serving Zombies, you are likely to have several nasty messes on your hands, as well as unwanted overnight guests, as your friends will not be able to drive home. And really, even the best of friends are unwelcome when they keep slurring, “I’m not drive…I can drunk.” and vomiting on your carpet.

This is certainly one of the more aptly named drinks around.  And if you follow my advice, your guests will not reach a level of zombification, but the volume of conversation will certainly rise, people will laugh at virtually anything and people who dislike each other will wrap their arms around one another and slur, “I love you, man!”  Be sure you have a video camera on hand.

Here’s what you do:

• Fill a Hurricane glass with ice and add
• 2 oz. dark rum (original recipe calls for 1 oz.)
• 1 oz. light rum
• 1/2 oz. Crème de Almond
• 1/2 oz. Triple Sec
• Fill half the remaining space with Orange Juice
• Fill the other half with Sour Mix
• Float 1/2 oz. Bacardi 151 on top and let sit for a minute or so

Serve with a straw and don’t stir the drink; as your guest slurps it down, the flavor will change a bit if it is quaffed instead of sipped, and the last gulp will make their heads spin. If you’re a stickler for fanciness, go ahead and stick a mini parasol in each drink and feel free to garnish the cocktails with just about any fruit you have on hand, including slices of orange, lemon or lime, cherries, or chunks of pineapple, mango or kiwi fruit. Use your imagination. In fact, using different garnishes for each drink can be the guests’ way of keeping track of which one is theirs… if the drinks last long enough to actually put down, which is unlikely, as this is one cocktail that screams, “Down me!”