The Inferno Room’s Zombie

Chris Coy | Indianapolis

Taking second place in our Zombie blind tasting, Chris Coy’s recipe stood out for its rich, velvety mouthfeel, an exceedingly difficult quality to achieve in a drink prepared via spindle blender, which can easily overdilute a drink and make it feel thin. To thank for that is a rich honey syrup that complements the requisite cinnamon syrup and falernum. “It’s so hard to get the texture right with this drink, and this one nailed it,” said Garret Richard, a judge on the tasting panel.

Ingredients

Serving: 1

  • 1 ounce lime juice
  • 1 ounce lime juice
  • 3/4 ounce overproof aged rum, preferably Plantation O.F.T.D.
  • 3/4 ounce overproof aged rum, preferably Plantation O.F.T.D.
  • 3/4 ounce Jamaican rum, preferably Worthy Park 109
  • 3/4 ounce Jamaican rum, preferably Worthy Park 109
  • 3/4 ounce overproof Demerara rum, preferably Hamilton 151
  • 3/4 ounce overproof Demerara rum, preferably Hamilton 151
  • 1/2 ounce grapefruit juice
  • 1/2 ounce grapefruit juice
  • 1/2 ounce cinnamon syrup (see Editor’s Note)
  • 1/2 ounce cinnamon syrup (see Editor’s Note)
  • 1/4 ounce honey syrup (see Editor’s Note)
  • 1/4 ounce honey syrup (see Editor’s Note)
  • 1/4 ounce falernum, preferably John D. Taylor’s Velvet Falernum Liqueur
  • 1/4 ounce falernum, preferably John D. Taylor’s Velvet Falernum Liqueur
  • 1 bar spoon grenadine (see Editor’s Note)
  • 1 bar spoon grenadine (see Editor’s Note)
  • 3 dashes Angostura bitters
  • 3 dashes Angostura bitters
  • 3 drops absinthe, preferably La Fée Parisienne Absinthe Supérieure
  • 3 drops absinthe, preferably La Fée Parisienne Absinthe Supérieure
  • 1 cup crushed ice
  • 1 cup crushed ice

Garnish: mint, dehydrated lime, freshly grated nutmeg

Directions
  1. Combine the ingredients in a large shaker tin, then flash-blend using a spindle mixer for about 2 seconds.
  2. Strain into a glass over fresh pellet or crushed ice.
  3. Garnish with mint, dehydrated lime and nutmeg.
Editor's Note

Cinnamon Syrup
2 cups water
8 cinnamon sticks
2 cups sugar

Combine the water and cinnamon sticks in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Whisk in the sugar until dissolved. Remove from heat and let the cinnamon sticks steep until cool. Once cool, strain out cinnamon sticks. Keeps, refrigerated, for up to 2 weeks.

Honey Syrup
2 parts honey
1 part water

Heat the honey until it is runny. Remove from heat, then combine with water.

Grenadine
2 cups pomegranate juice, preferably POM
2 cups sugar
2 ounces pomegranate molasses
1/2 teaspoon orange blossom water

Heat the pomegranate juice until it reaches a low boil. Whisk in the sugar and the pomegranate molasses until dissolved. Remove from heat, allow to cool and add orange blossom water. Keeps, refrigerated, for up to 2 weeks.

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