My Bar Bible / Cocktails / Mai Tai vs Zombie
Mai Tai vs Zombie
What is the difference between a Mai Tai and a Zombie? Here are both recipes side by side, with exact measures, and what actually sets them apart.
The difference
- Both use Jamaican rum and lime juice.
- Only the Mai Tai has Martinique rhum agricole, orange curaçao, orgeat and simple syrup.
- Only the Zombie has gold rum, Demerara rum 151, falernum, Donn's mix, grenadine, Angostura bitters and absinthe.
- The Mai Tai goes in a rocks glass, the Zombie in a highball.
- The Zombie is the stronger drink: about 24% against about 20% once diluted.
Mai Tai
| Jamaican rum | 30 ml |
| Martinique rhum agricole | 30 ml |
| Orange curaçao | 15 ml |
| Orgeat | 15 ml |
| Lime juice | 30 ml |
| Simple syrup | 7.5 ml |
Trader Vic, Oakland, 1944. Nothing about the original was blue.
Zombie
| Jamaican rum | 45 ml |
| Gold rum | 45 ml |
| Demerara rum 151 | 15 ml |
| Falernum | 15 ml |
| Lime juice | 20 ml |
| Donn's mix | 15 ml |
| Grenadine | 1 teaspoon |
| Angostura bitters | 1 dash |
| Absinthe | 6 drops |
Donn Beach, Hollywood, 1934. His menus limited guests to two.