Adapted from Donn Beach’s Zombie, created in 1934, Martin Cate’s version of the classic tiki cocktail hews close to tradition. A potent mix of rum, citrus and sweetener, the original drink was shrouded in myth about its madness-inducing properties, including menu warnings about a two-per-person limit imposed “for your own safety.” Today, it’s no wonder that Cate advises to garnish “with a mint sprig and a healthy dose of trepidation.”
Smuggler’s Cove’s Zombie
Smuggler's Cove | San Francisco

Ingredients
Serving: 1
- 3/4 ounce lime juice
- 1/4 ounce grapefruit juice
- 1/4 ounce Smuggler's Cove cinnamon syrup (see Editor's Note)
- 1 teaspoon Smuggler's Cove grenadine (see Editor's Note)
- 1/2 ounce velvet falernum, preferably John D. Taylor's
- 1 1/2 ounces blended aged rum
- 1 1/2 ounces column still aged rum
- 1 ounce black blended overproof rum
- 2 dashes Herbstura (see Editor's Note)
- 12 ounces crushed ice
Garnish: mint sprig
Directions
- Combine all ingredients in a drink mixer tin with 4 to 6 standard "agitator" ice cubes.
- Pulse for three to four seconds to aerate, dilute and chill the drink while leaving much of the ice intact.
- Pour into Zombie or highball glass allowing most of the contents into the glass before using a gated finish to ensure the entire drink fits in the serving glass.
- Garnish with a mint sprig.
Editor's Note
Smuggler's Cove Cinnamon Syrup:
2 cups water
3 (6 inch) cinnamon sticks, halved
4 cups granulated sugar
Put the water in a saucepan. Add the pieces of cinnamon stick to the water and bring to a boil. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved, about 1 minute. Remove from heat, then cover and let sit at room temperature for 12 hours. Strain through cheesecloth into a bowl, then funnel into a lidded bottle or other sealable container. Syrup will keep, refrigerated, for several weeks. Makes 4 cups.
Smuggler's Cove Grenadine:
2 cups POM Wonderful 100% pomegranate juice
2 cups granulated sugar
Add the pomegranate sauce to a nonreactive saucepan. Bring the juice to a boil over high heat. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and let cool. Funnel into a lidded bottle or other sealable container. Syrup will keep, refrigerated, for several weeks. Makes 3 cups.
Herbstura:
Mix equal parts Herbsaint (an anise-flavored liqueur) and Angostura. Store in a dasher bottle and shake well to integrate.