First things first, I’ve got to give Rick over at Kaiser Penguin what the kids are calling “mad props” for coming up with this doozy of a Mixology Monday. And let me tell you, after a week of testing, my liver is well versed in exactly how much of a doozy it is.
So, here’s a bit of a historical take on this. The limit one per customer, as far as has ever been told, started with Don the Beachcomber. His menu, shown below, has a number of drinks with special “restrictions” on them. This is a 1956 souvenir menu mailer from Hawaii. Mahalo to Mimi at Arkiva Tropika for the imagery.
As you can see, there are quite a few drinks there with a bit of a limit on them, and for some damned good reason. These drinks are killer-dillers in the literal, or LIVERal sense. Oh ho, fun with words.
Anyhow, one of the Beachcomber’s most famous stories comes from the time a man wagered Don, betting he could down 5 Zombies (limit two) without breaking a rum-soaked sweat. So, they both put 100 bucks in the kitty, and agree to the challenge the next night. The man shows up, Don starts mixing, One Zombie, two Zombie, and as he’s sucking down the third, the fella’s head hits the table with a mighty thump. Don won that wager, but not without a trick or two up his short sleeves. Don had mixed some glycerin, a sugar alcohol, into the drink for its property of hitting the system mighty quick. Never bet on another man’s game, Don’s saying goes, and I can’t find a better example of it.
Moving onto the now, seeing the potential for this Mixology Monday, the question that came to my head is, how many Zombies are we going to see? I’ve actually been rather surprised by the innovation, after reading posts and talking with a few bloggers and bartenders. There are some great, full to the brim with booze drinks out there I hadn’t seen covered before. In the hopes of avoiding wearing the same dress another belle at the ball, I decided to whip up this little concoction. This thing’s the real deal, and as I’ve certainly discovered, as Don and Vic once did, it all begins with the right Rum.
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Okay, so I put a few too many ingredients in. It’s tiki, things like to get complex. This drink is worth the effort, smooth as silk, and hits like a sledgehammer. This is definitely a onesy, maybe even for the whole evening, and not just because the bartender had a hell of a time putting the damned thing together. Like I say, it’s all thanks to the rum. The rest of the stuff is just notes taken from what the rums were saying… and yes, a few tests into this the rum started talking (maybe literally, it was a lot of rum). Yes, the booze outweighs the others with this one, but it goes down like Polynesian lightning.
The Wisdom of Pelé? That comes the morning after having two of these. I’ve got a punch version I’ll be putting on the site soon as well, the Wrath of Pelé, as soon as I can get a few more “volunteers”.
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2008 and I'm feeling great
Hope the first day of the new year is finding you well.
Primitiva
It's funny that something I threw together on a whim a few months back suddenly became an "internet sensation".
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Can there be repeat volunteers? Thanks again for letting me borrow the galley for MxMo.
Blair, I’ll volunteer if we can play at home!!! Cheers!
I think our entries are cousins!
dang!!! that drink looks great!!! is it an original?
I look forward to trying this just as soon as my Lemon Hart order arrives, later this week. I’m not familiar with Navan, though — would Licor 43 work as a substitute?
Nifty! I’ve got some Demerara on order, and if I can find the Navan, I’ll be making this for sure.
Also, is Myer’s an acceptable substitute for the Coruba?
Marshall – Indeed! I’ll have a recipe up as soon as I can get at least 6 people over to help me take care of the damned thing. My Volcano Bowl fits a whopping 96 oz, so it’ll be a fine time.
Marleigh – Very nice! The Grog Mix you’ve got up is higher on grapefruit than I’m used to, but sure seems tasty! I keep a squeeze bottle of allspice syrup on deck at all times for Vic style Navy Grogs, and anything that needs that “tiki” touch to it. I really like the use of Orange Flower Water.
Keith – Yup! Inspired by Rum. It’s pretty nifty if I do say so myself.
Gilrain – Licor 43 was actually something I debated using, but the Navan had a stronger direct Vanilla nose to it. It won’t be the exact same, but I think it’ll work just fine.
Dr. Bamboo – Myers and Coruba are pretty distinct animals, with Myers REALLY heavy on the molasses note, and Coruba a little richer and more complex. Myers actually might suit this well, so I’d say give it a shot, but maybe at 3/4 instead of 1oz. I’ve found it works great in drinks that require just a wee bit more sweet than Coruba provides.
Thanks to everyone for the interest!
That looks awesome. What a recipe. This will be my next tiki drink.
Quote: This will be my next tiki drink.
Mine too!
Finally got around to making this bad boy. Had to use Torani vanilla syrup for the float, Angostura for the bitters and subbed Clement VSOP for the St James. Wow! Very tasty and definitely in the same dangerous class as the Zombies. ‘Mad props’ to you for this! Any chance of running this at Teardrop on ‘Blair night’?