Blue Zombie

There is something about a blue cocktail that just makes you feel like you’re on vacation. This probably has a little something to do with the fact that the Blue Hawaii was invented on Oahu and was served to millions of tourists over the years. The main ingredient in most blue cocktails is blue curaçao, which is simply curaçao that has been dyed a bright, vibrant blue. The blue doesn’t add any flavor, but it makes a powerful impression in a cocktail. There aren’t all that many blue cocktails out there and we decided that we’d like to see a few more, so we got out our mixing glasses and came up with a Blue Zombie. Once glance will tell you that this isn’t your average Zombie, but it sure is fun to drink!

The cocktail starts out with the same sort of base that you’ll find in the original Don the Beachcomber Zombie recipe, with a blend of three different rums. We don’t recommend using a really dark rum in this drink because you want to preserve the color of the drink. A little bit of color isn’t going to throw off the curaçao, but with a blue drink you want to keep the finished color in mind as you mix. We used a nice aged rum (Plantation 5 year), a white Jamaican rum (Appleton White) and a splash of 151 (Lost Spirits Cuban Style 151).

The original cocktail includes hints of grapefruit and cinnamon, as well, however we replaced the grapefruit with orange, since the curaçao is orange flavored. A little lime juice brightens up the other ingredients. The result is a drink with a nice blend of citrus and a serious kick. Sip this one slowly, let the ice mellow the liquor a bit and enjoy a completely non-traditional zombie.

Blue Zombie
1 1/2 oz aged rum (pref. Barbados or Jamaican)
1 1/2 oz white Jamaican rum
1/2 oz 151 proof rum
1/2 oz blue curaçao
3/4 oz lime juice
3/4 oz Velvet Falernum
1/2 oz spiced simple syrup
2 dashes Bittercube Jamaican Bitters or 1 tsp allspice dram

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker, fill with ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a tall glass or tiki mug filled with crushed ice. Garnish with a spent lime wheel.