Ranking (Almost) Every Zombie Cocktail | The Rum Revival

[@differentspirits4157]

I'm trying to imagine which image is funnier, the idea of Arminder and crew just pounding through Zombies over one afternoon or Arminder keeping the relevant hat and jacket lying around on hand for like two months for Zombie video purposes. 😂 Bravo!!

[@therumrevival]

In hindsight I wish I had gone with the former. Having to walk around that room and not knock over the placement of the camera was a pain. Also, facial hair continuity… oh boy!

[@none_remaining]

“”Tonight”” killed me.

[@mmwosu]

This was my first thought too. Death would be the only certainty to do this in one night 😂

[@therumrevival]

@@mmwosu lol I think after the 4th zombie, id be a hot mess

[@mmwosu]

@@therumrevival In my experience, 2 is fun, 3 is a LOT of fun, and 4 would be WAY too many 😄

[@DouglasJerome]

Anders Erickson’s spec deserves a shout in here. It’s excellent

[@teddydanielson4225]

Love Anders’ spec! I like how he ups the grapefruit and cinnamon syrup measurements beyond the original half ounce of Donn’s Mix. Those are my favorite flavors in the drink and that lets them shine while not hiding the rum at all.

[@therumrevival]

Thanks for the heads up on that! I'll have to give it a try.

[@DouglasJerome]

@@teddydanielson4225 agreed. I was pretty lost on the Zombie (using SC / Don Beach spec), but Anders make the perfect adjustments to dial in the classic

[@jarrod-smith]

Holy sh!t my guy! I can’t imagine how much work went into to this. This is now the reference standard on the topic and I bet will remain so for the foreseeable future. Kudos. I’m excited to try some new Zombie recipes!

[@therumrevival]

Thanks so much Jarrod! I really appreciate that! Let me know what you think of some of those new zombies

[@tigredepapel1]

(JuanF here) Daaaannng, Arminder. Way to do the heavy lifting, my dude. An amazing video, ... and the recipe collection! Wow.

[@therumrevival]

Thanks so much Juan!!

[@stevenvanderville2589]

Forwarded this video to a friend with the caption, "My man drank 20 zombies. Absolute LEGEND." You always inspire me. But this one was especially awesome as the zombie is one of my top 5 favorites and, like you, I love when a cocktail is unhinged.

[@therumrevival]

thank you!! its so cool to see so many other people say that the zombie is also one of their favorites. while i do appreciate a balanced drink and all, sometimes you just need to go over the top and unhinged

[@unansweredprayer1122]

you have single-handedly convinced me to try a zombie, but not on halloween. my birthday happens to be on the day of the dead, so i should make use of that b-day fund. props to the incredible effort put into filming this video, especially the planning and consistency. cheers 🥃

[@therumrevival]

Thank you so much and Happy Birthday!!

[@WhoKnowsNose]

Next video: Arminder gets a liver transplant. /s Great video! There are at least four recipes here that I've never heard of and excited to try🗿

[@therumrevival]

lol even filmed over a few days it was brutal

[@deepflavor5906]

I love watching someone give their liver the Mike Tyson uppercut treatment. Looking forward to another ranking list, great concept and really enjoyed it. It is wonderful to see majority of these rums are on the shelves almost anywhere at an affordable price, doesn't always need the best for a good cocktail.

[@therumrevival]

Love the Tyson line lol. I am hoping to do more of these in the new year

[@erickhines4121]

The Beachbum Berry Zombie has been my go-to for the past 2 years.

[@therumrevival]

I’m tempted to use the blend in an original spec 4oz of rum zombie

[@MarshallHoop]

@@therumrevivalthe blend makes a good Undead Gentleman

[@therumrevival]

@@MarshallHoop Good to know! I'll have to try that. Thanks!

[@DavidHallidayMusic]

Arminder! Happy Halloween my friend. Congrats on a great video! The next time I’m in the Bay Area, I’d like to buy you a drink and pick your brain on your favorite NorCal spots to buy rum. I’ll have to drive out from SLC, as I’m sure I’ll return home with a trunk full. Ha ha. Cheers!

[@GeeWhizbang]

Bitters & Bottles in SSF

[@therumrevival]

Hey David, thanks! Lots of good places to buy (and drink) rum out here in the bay! Cheers!

[@stephane.foisy.186]

Heck ya! I'm of the same. I am working through Professor Cocktail’s Zombie Horde: Recipes for the World’s Most Lethal Drink. Quite a few interesting ones there

[@therumrevival]

That seems right up my alley! Might just have to do a follow up!

[@stephane.foisy.186]

@@therumrevival If you do another wild card to add (similar to the tequila based) would be Brian Miller's Double Barrel Winchester, a great punch of gin.

[@stevenvanderville2589]

​@stephane.foisy.186 Oh this book is definitely going on my Xmas list now. Thanks!

[@MrHavy09]

Arminder, the timing of this video is pretty crazy. I actually batched the Oaxacan Dead this past weekend for a halloween party and it was pretty awesome. Made the Smuggles Cove Zombie awhile back and it was really good. The 2 rums I use are OFTD & 151 but definitely tempted to make the Inferno Room

[@therumrevival]

Oh a prebatched oaxacan dead sounds like a great idea! I think you’ll dig the inferno zombie

[@valentin1412]

I was gonna recommend the Oaxacan dead but wasn’t sure it was gonna qualify. So glad it made your radar! It’s definitely my all time favorite zombie variation

[@therumrevival]

right on! I've had a few since making the video....sooo good

[@trader_ralston]

This was.. amazing:) I know how much work went into this and it is appreciated and will serve as a great reference for me. The Zombie is my favorite tiki drink! My "10" Zombie is the Tiki Trail Zombie (Atomic Grog).. but now, of course it must become a "9" :) I make it almost every weekend and I am always looking for a better one. I may just find it here. Rums I use in it are Rum Fire, Mount Gay Navy Strength, Diamond 151 and Tiki Lovers White. Cheers!

[@therumrevival]

Thank you sir!! I just looked up the Tiki Trail Zombie and it looks great... especially with those rums you mentioned. I might just have to do a whole nother video lol

[@uraniumrock8381]

This was such a great video! This really blows most cocktail content going on right now out of the water! I'm making the Inferno Room Zombie as soon as I get home.

[@therumrevival]

Thanks so much! appreciate that

[@BryantBourg]

I really like this video format despite it being probably a lot of work to put together. I think it helps me understand what roles certain ingredients play in a cocktail and how I might want to make adjustments in a complicated cocktail like a zombie to suit my preferences or make riffs.

[@therumrevival]

Thanks! Yeah, there's definitely tons of tweaking you can do to any given recipe.

[@ApothecaryAlyth]

Legendary. Can't wait to finish watching. Kudos for spending the time, effort, and of course money to tackle this.

[@therumrevival]

Thank you! appreciate it!

[@naujelbr]

This was a great video. Thanks for all the work you do.

[@therumrevival]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@gnrnando88]

One of the best tiki videos ever. Outstanding work!

[@therumrevival]

Wow, thank you!

[@JasonBunting]

I didn't realize I needed this video, but it's one of your best.

[@therumrevival]

I appreciate that!

[@oogyloogy]

damnnn arminder putting in work with this one! before watching i am partial to anton kinlocks zombie but by the end i hope to have a new favorite to try!

[@therumrevival]

Maybe you’ll have a couple of new favorites by the end of the

[@PatrickJaszewski]

Fantastic video, Arminder. That Italian Zombie has been my favorite for a few years now, but I need to try the Inferno and Tropical Standard Zombies now too. Thanks for fighting the good fight!

[@therumrevival]

Thanks!! And yeah it’s such a great zombie. I’m definitely having one for Halloween.

[@tomrowe6432]

Great video. My most memorable Zombie was the first I ever attempted to make at home. It genuinely felt like my body was purifying and transforming into one of the living dead. As if I was being administered a potion by a voodoo witch doctor. The key to the whole thing was that at that early point in my rum/cocktail journey I didn't even understand measures. I accidentally put 2x the amount of each rum in. I can remember I used Woods Old Navy for the overproof demerara. The others were probably Havana Club Especiale and Blackwell Black Gold. Anyway it felt like what a zombie ought to be. I have never recreated but I remember the experience with awe. I still refer to it as a 'super zombie'.

[@therumrevival]

Oh boy that must have been one potent zombie lol. Cool combination of rums!

[@rbilabronze2653]

Wow! What a great video. Can’t wait to try the four “9” zombies. Thanks so much for all the effort. My favorite spec is the “Aku Aku” Zombie (1964 Zombie in Total Tiki App). For that I’ve used Bacardi 8, Appleton 12, and Lemon Hart 151. But would love to play around with that spec with other rums :)

[@therumrevival]

Thanks! I’m actually interested in trying a zombie with Appleton 12, none of the recipes I came across called for it

[@pizzazombie5209]

The shopping list for this must have been intense. Great content as always.

[@therumrevival]

Yes it was! lol

[@teddydanielson4225]

Wonderful video Arminder! The Zombie was my gateway cocktail to Tiki. A bit of an odd choice, but I hosted a Halloween party during my senior year of college and the Zombie fit thematically. Since I was a novice, I didn’t understand the difference between Demerara overproof and unaged Jamaican overproof, resulting in my drinks tasting like nothing but Wray and Nephew with notes of grapefruit juice and cinnamon syrup! Fortunately my patrons were pleased nonetheless. I had a strict one per person rule, and later that evening at another party down the street one of my friends (thoroughly tipsy) found me and said “Teddy! Your cocktail f***ed me up!” Good thing I had that rule. Two months later, I received a copy of “Smugglers Cove” for my birthday and not only learned the proper Zombie, but started down the rum and tiki rabbit hole. Definitely interested to try some of the variations you made here, as well as the 1950 fruit forward recipe detailed in the Beachbum’s “Sippin’ Safari”. Cheers and Happy Halloween!

[@therumrevival]

Thanks for sharing!! W&N and grapefruit and cinnamon sounds great to me lol I think I might have had my first zombie at a Halloween party.

[@kawonewilliams1949]

A couple things. First this was an awesome video. I'm always excited to get a notification that a new video is up. How did you walk out of this one with your wits about you? That was a significant amount of booze to put away. I'm actually working on a clear type of zombie 🧟‍♂️ with some very different ingredients. I'm going to be using some of the Rum Bolongne, Nission rum, and another high proof but not too funky rum. It's a work in progress like everything else. Great video, viva la rum revolution. Cheers.

[@therumrevival]

Thank you sir! I made it out alive thanks to some careful editing lol I'd be very interested in your final spec for the clear zombie. Cheers!

[@TimBaker]

I love the comparison video. Nicely done!

[@therumrevival]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@Ripst4rt]

This is an excellent video. That would have been a lot of work. Really well done.

[@therumrevival]

Thank you very much!

[@felipeacosta8099]

I just clicked on the video but just wanted to give you the PROPS for doing this!

[@therumrevival]

thank you!

[@f2343]

Great job! Please do more like this! I like to your opinion on my tiki classic cocktails with the rums they you and how you like or rate them. Give us more

[@therumrevival]

Thanks for that feedback! Hope to do more of this in the new year

[@markcalhoun8219]

My core focus when making Zombies is homemade Falernum which takes me about 2 weeks to make but getting a good extraction from the spices, ginger and zest sets up the cocktail to be really powerful and I make a big batch so it lasts all year. The downside is you need rums that will hold up and in that I really haven't found anything better than 4oz of Hamilton Blend though before I located it Appleton Signature, Lemonhart 151 and Myers was workable. Going to do some hunting for rums this winter and see what else I can find in the area.

[@therumrevival]

I'd love to have my act together to make my own falernum, I think that's so cool. I imagine its so much more bold and vibrant compared to the Velvet Falernum. I had never thought of using 4oz of the hamilton blend... I'm going to try that in a standard '34 recipe.

[@kidyuki1]

17:35 Leandro killing it, as usual

[@therumrevival]

Now I need to try more of his drinks

[@mohrstephen]

Today, I made myself the Inferno Room (but I use the Smuggler's Cove spec of 2:1 cinnamon syrup, and I use Milk & Honey's spec of honey syrup at 3:1). Great flavors and texture. I also made the Undead Gentleman, but today, I opted to complement the OFTD w/Appleton 8yr. Really good coupe drink.

[@therumrevival]

I’m tempted to try those variations! Thanks for sharing

[@atomicgrog]

Fantastic video. I've probably tried and rated 100 different Zombies (my favorite cocktail) over 20 years, but what you accomplished in a short time frame (and on video no less) is amazing. If you're looking for a few more versions, check out the 16 Zombie recipes on The Atomic Grog's A-Z cocktail guide, including a few of my own. The outside-the-box versions I'm most proud of are Le Zombie (featuring rhum agricole and a few other French ingredients) and Vodou Zonbi (a deadly Haitian version featuring Barbancourt rhum and clairin). There's also the Final Destination Zombie featuring rum and mezcal. Okole maluna!

[@therumrevival]

Thank you so much! Your zombies look great. Looking forward to trying these

[@atomicgrog]

@@therumrevival Mahalo and enjoy! There's one other I forgot to mention, the Tiki Trail Zombie featuring four rums including overproof Jamaican (perfect for Rum Fire).

[@WhoKnowsNose]

My go to Zombie is the classic 1934 version. Using Hamilton 151, Appleton 12, and Ron del Barrilito 3 Star.

[@therumrevival]

That sounds a great combo. Adding that to my list of more zombies to try

[@jaythrash]

6:28 Shannon’s book is definitely underrated! Interesting Death & Co doesn’t use Scarlet Ibis in their Zombie given they commissioned that blend!

[@therumrevival]

Good point! Perhaps they now use it in a newer versions of the recipe.

[@jonathanlyons3491]

You have outdone yourself. I'll have to bookmark this. I was hoping for a Tonga Room zombie, since that's what I have ingredients for. If you need any backstage help, I'll work for leftovers.

[@therumrevival]

Thanks! Oh I don’t know the Tonga room recipe, what’s in it?

[@dublaAandA]

Well, say goodbye to that Bacardi sponsorship buddy! LOL

[@therumrevival]

lol fine by me

[@snowrs1]

I love the Tropical Standard cocktails and have made a lot of them, almost 20, they are always fantastic. My problem is, if I want a cocktail I can never get my self up to make something so involved and with ingredients I don’t usually have on hand. Being from Indiana I am partial to the Inferno room, I do use a homemade Falernum.

[@therumrevival]

Yeah they’re definitely not spur of the moment cocktails. You have to plan for them. I’ll have to borrow some homemade Falernum from Derek and try it in the inferno room

[@SonofShortMan]

Speaking of blue zombies, I almost went to Applebees this month for "research." I'm sure there are better ways to off myself than to drink bacardi blue though. The zombie was one of my favorite drinks long before I ever had a real one, so I suppose those restaurant/resort rail versions do at least serve as an entry point for some people.

[@therumrevival]

I actually had plans to check out that $1 zombie for this video but limited time and liver space got in the way.

[@TradrDame]

As a fellow Bay Area tiki enthusiast I was wondering what score you give the Kon-Tiki Zombie in Oakland?

[@therumrevival]

To be honest, its been years since I've had their zombie. I was mostly sipping rum there or lately been enjoying their original cocktails.

[@TradrDame]

@ I was there for the first time about a month ago and felt like it was one of the better zombies that I’ve had anywhere. You should give it a try if you’re still on your zombie journey.

[@therumrevival]

@@TradrDame Good to know, thanks! I"m long overdue for a visit.

[@tonysteverson1975]

Enjoyed the video! Crank it to 11 if you have to.

[@stophalomotion]

Now can we get a video of you Finishing (Almost) Every Zombie Cocktail? 😂

[@therumrevival]

LOL - that video would be a hot mess

[@pickledpiepi]

The jaeger gave me ideas... Fernet zombie?

[@therumrevival]

i would totally drink that

[@Physics072]

I think you have the Inferno Room and Anton Zombie mixed up. The Anton is actuall hitting much harder than the Inferno room Alcohol amount of each Anton = to 3.26 drinks Inferno= to 2.25 drinks = weaker than you thought. Winner of hard hitting = Anton and hides it better. I think the flavor he likes in the inferno is due to the lack of fluid amount. Its less booze than Antons but more concentrated because it lacks fluid. Fluid amount Anton Zombi = 5.87 oz fluid (3.26 drinks worth of alcohol) Inferno Room = 4.75 oz. And Only 2.25 drinks of alcohol. Its going to concentrate the booze taste even though there is much less booze in it vs the Antons. That concentration might fool people into thinking WOW this is a strong drink, it is sort of but not as hard hitting as Antons zombie. Sorry to do the math on it but the Inferno room which you thought was much stronger than it really is loses out to Antons in actual potency. Dons Demon the 9.99/10 winner of this is equivalent to 2.68 drinks, less than Antons 3.26 drinks but similar amount of total fluid at 5.8oz should fill a tiki glass up better. Both are watered down more yet Potent. Wondering if Antons swapped the Havana Club for like Ron del Barrilito 3 Star would it have won?

[@GeeWhizbang]

This begs a couple questions… 1. Has to be your most expensive videos by a country mile…so how many views do you need for this to be profitable? 2. What did you do with all those cocktails after…please tell me you threw a big ass party and each guest got a drink of their choosing?

[@therumrevival]

I actually had most of the bottles that I featured in this video. Maybe there were 4 or 5 I didnt have. And in terms of profitability, well it would need MUCH more views than what its getting lol but that's all good. In terms of what I did with the cocktails after, either my wife or I would finish or an occasion thirsty cousin.

[@gavincassells7585]

Hmmm, if a ten is to become your everyday zombie, then maybe there should be multiple ways to score a 10? Because you probably won't want the same zombie everyday.

[@Succumbed2Rum]

"every day Zombie" 😂

[@therumrevival]

good point. not every zombie will be a 10 in every circumstances/time of day.

[@Physics072]

BTW those barcardis in the video are terrible zombies I would give 3/10 like you did. The award winning is at least a 8/10 in comparison maybe a 9.

[@therumrevival]

yeah those were not enjoyable lol