white zombie

1 1/2 oz Macchu Pisco
1 1/2 oz Banks 5 Island Rum (Plantation 3 Star)
1 oz Hayman's Royal Dock Gin
3/4 oz Velvet Falernum
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Don's Mix (BG Reynolds)
1/4 oz Passion Fruit Purée (1/2 oz Passion Fruit Syrup)
1/4 oz Simple Syrup (none, combined with purée above)
1 bsp Maraschino (Luxardo)
1 bsp Absinthe (Kübler)

Shake with ice and pour into a Tiki mug (shake with ice, strain into a Tiki mug, and fill with crushed ice). Garnish with an orange wheel, mint sprig, and a paper umbrella (mint sprigs and nasturtium flowers).

Two Thursdays ago, I decided to make a Tiki drink that I had spotted on Punch Drinks by Zac Overman of Fort Defiance in Brooklyn. Zac's White Zombie, besides perhaps being a tribute to the band, was a less colored riff on the classic 1934 Zombie. Instead of three rums, there was a single white one joined by gin and pisco. Moreover, the absinthe was increased and the classic's grenadine and Angostura Bitters were swapped for Maraschino liqueur and passion fruit purée here. Since I have enjoyed Zac's Three Scots and a Dash, Padang Swizzle, and Angostura Colada, I was game to give this one a try.
The White Zombie greeted the nose with mint and peppery floral aromas. Next, lime and grapefruit on the sip led into juniper, passion fruit, and Maraschino on the swallow with an absinthe and cinnamon finish. Overall, it was in the ballpark of the classic, and the addition of passion fruit was in line with the Spievak and Tonga Room Zombies.