Cocktails anyone?

[JennyLou]

I've never tried a Zombie and I've been wanting to try it. Who has tried this cocktail and what do you think?

 

[Cigarband]

BE AFRAID, BE VERY AFRAID!

The Zombie is a cocktail made of fruit juices, liqueurs, and various rums, so named for its perceived effects upon the drinker. It first appeared in the late 1930s, invented by Donn Beach (formerly Ernest Raymond Beaumont-Gannt) of Hollywood's Don the Beachcomber restaurant. It was popularized soon after at the 1939 New York World's Fair.

Beach concocted it one afternoon for a friend who had dropped by his restaurant before flying to San Francisco. The friend left after having consumed three of them. He returned several days later to complain that he had been turned into a zombie for his entire trip. Its smooth, fruity taste works to conceal its extremely high alcoholic content. For many years the Don the Beachcomber restaurants limited their customers to two Zombies apiece. According to the original recipe, there are the equivalent of 7.5 ounces (2.2 dl) of alcohol in a single Zombie; this is the same as drinking three and a half cocktails made with a fairly generous 2 ounces (0.6 dl) of alcohol per drink. The restaurant limit of two Zombies, therefore, would be the equivalent of 7 regular cocktails such as a Manhattan or Scotch on the rocks.

Donn Beach was very cautious with the recipes of his original cocktails. His instructions for his bartenders contained coded references to ingredients such as "Donn's Mix", the contents of which were only known to him. As a result of Beach's secrecy and the enormous popularity of these drinks during the Tiki craze, countless variations on the Zombie emerged. Other bars, chain restaurants and individuals created their own version of it to satisfy demand, usually with poor results.

Beach's original recipes for the Zombie and other Tiki drink have been recently published in Sippin' Safari by Jeff "Beachbum" Berry. Berry researched the origins of many Tiki cocktails, interviewing bartenders from Don the Beachcomber's and other original Tiki places and digging up other original sources. Mostly notably, Sippin' Safari details Beach's development of the Zombie with three different recipes dating from 1934 to 1956.

They do taste wonderful, but you may find yourself doing unladylike things.

 

[JennyLou]

The Zombie is a cocktail made of fruit juices, liqueurs, and various rums, so named for its perceived effects upon the drinker. It first appeared in the late 1930s, invented by Donn Beach (formerly Ernest Raymond Beaumont-Gannt) of Hollywood's Don the Beachcomber restaurant. It was popularized soon after at the 1939 New York World's Fair.

Beach concocted it one afternoon for a friend who had dropped by his restaurant before flying to San Francisco. The friend left after having consumed three of them. He returned several days later to complain that he had been turned into a zombie for his entire trip. Its smooth, fruity taste works to conceal its extremely high alcoholic content. For many years the Don the Beachcomber restaurants limited their customers to two Zombies apiece. According to the original recipe, there are the equivalent of 7.5 ounces (2.2 dl) of alcohol in a single Zombie; this is the same as drinking three and a half cocktails made with a fairly generous 2 ounces (0.6 dl) of alcohol per drink. The restaurant limit of two Zombies, therefore, would be the equivalent of 7 regular cocktails such as a Manhattan or Scotch on the rocks.

Donn Beach was very cautious with the recipes of his original cocktails. His instructions for his bartenders contained coded references to ingredients such as "Donn's Mix", the contents of which were only known to him. As a result of Beach's secrecy and the enormous popularity of these drinks during the Tiki craze, countless variations on the Zombie emerged. Other bars, chain restaurants and individuals created their own version of it to satisfy demand, usually with poor results.

Beach's original recipes for the Zombie and other Tiki drink have been recently published in Sippin' Safari by Jeff "Beachbum" Berry. Berry researched the origins of many Tiki cocktails, interviewing bartenders from Don the Beachcomber's and other original Tiki places and digging up other original sources. Mostly notably, Sippin' Safari details Beach's development of the Zombie with three different recipes dating from 1934 to 1956.

They do taste wonderful, but you may find yourself doing unladylike things.

Thank you so much for posting this. I can't wait to order one next time I'm at a bar. In my opinion, the average cocktail doesn't have enough alcohol in it for my taste and I love fruity cocktails so I'm sure I'll enjoy a Zombie. And I'm a lady who can handle her liquor quiet wellso I'm sure a Zombie will be no match for me.

 

[Brooksie]

I love the link & thread too, it has been fun to find drinks I have never even heard of before.

I usually love sweet fruity foo foo drinks. I would like to try the Zombie because it is a fruity type of drink but if I do I probably better share it with somebody because of the effects that were described above.

Brooksie

 

[JennyLou]

Ok, so I just had a zombie and it was amazing. I only had one and I sure did feel the effects of it. I thinks it's my new favorite drink.

 

[katon]

For those interested in Golden Era American cocktail books, a fellow from Italy named Mr. Tucci has put together a pretty impressive list, including PDF links to ones that (I assume) have entered the public domain over there.

 

[Carmen Del Rio]

I just got back from New Orleans this past weekend and had a Hurricane at Pat O'Brien's (very tasty) and a Sazerac at The Swizzle Stick Bar in the Loews Hotel on Poydras St. The Sazerac is definitely my new favorite cocktail. If you're a fan of whiskey, you should check it out

 

[St. Louis]

I find this thread very helpful, but I have a more basic question that I hope someone can answer. I'm planning a mid-to-late 1930s party here in my tiny St. Louis bungalow. I can probably fit about 15 people in here, if some gravitate to the front porch.

I plan to serve 1930s food and drinks. From my background reading I've discovered that it was perfectly acceptable to serve beer at gatherings in this town. St. Louis, as you probably know, has always been a big beer town--lots of breweries, underground caves to keep the beer cool, lots of German immigrants to work in the big breweries, and so on. Long story a little longer (as is my tendency), I think I should also serve something else--maybe punch, or mixed drinks. I can't find any evidence that wine was served at a lot of 1930s parties, though once again, Missouri has always been home to wineries since the 1830s.

So here are some of my questions: how do I serve the beer? (In what type of glass?) May I serve a local wine? Should I make a punch? I can't imagine myself stocking a full bar, because I rarely drink liquor and can't afford it anyway. If I went with one mixed drink, what basic liquor should I get? Gin, maybe?

I'm a little nervous about the drink situation, because I know so little about mixed drinks & don't quite know how I would manage that anyway. Do you mix the drinks before the guests arrive? Or could I just point them to the bathtub (kidding.) What would be typical at a nice little middle class party?

I'm okay on the food -- I've been gathering recipes -- and I think I can make some iced tea or lemonade, and find some ginger ale and tonic water for those who have Taken the Pledge.

Any advice or ideas would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.

 

[katon]

You might try a Planter's Punch... It's basically a fresh-squeezed lime-ade with Jamaican rum and Angostura bitters. (It was named one of the best drinks of the year in a 1934 issue of Esquire. ) On the other hand, I don't know how popular rum was in Missouri at the time. Drink tastes were often fairly regional.

There was a distillery in Weston, MO that remained open during Prohibition to make medicinal whiskey... after changing many hands it became the McCormick Distilling Company, which is still in Weston today (although the only thing they distill themselves anymore seems to be vodka - everything else is bottled under contract from others).

So maybe some bourbon? You could prepare a bottle of Old-Fashioneds (sweetened bourbon whiskey with Angostura bitters added, served over ice) for those preferring something a little stronger than beer. The same 1934 Esquire Magazine article from before named the Old-Fashioned top cocktail of that year.

If you think your guests would prefer gin, a Gin Fizz or Tom Collins seem like they would be nice choices. Both are gin with fresh-squeezed sparkling lemonade; there is only a slight difference in preparation. With a Gin Fizz, you shake the sugar (dissolved in a little water, or as a sugar syrup), lemon juice, and gin over ice, and strain the liquid into a small glass with no ice, which you top off with soda water. With a Tom Collins, you pour all the ingredients over ice in a larger glass, stir gently, and serve.

As for beer glasses, If it's for German-type beer, then I'd think maybe one of those old footed pilsner glasses (sort of a tall and narrow cone on a wine-glass base). If you have access to any older advertising for Missouri beer, it will probably feature the beer in the type of glassware expected.

 

[ruthcrowder]

My favorite is the Margarita.

 

[DesertDan]

Frosted Coke

In a tall glass with ice:
Vodka
Kaluha
Galleano
cream
coca-cola