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Mai Kai Zombie |
Tonga Tiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 14, 2006
Posts: 144
From: The Tonga Lounge in Safety Harbor, FL
|  Posted: 2011-04-12 4:30 pm Permalink
Does anyone think they know the difference between the '34 Zombie Punch and the Zombie the Mai Kai serves?
[ This Message was edited by: Tonga Tiki 2011-04-14 06:50 ]
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Hurricane Hayward
Grand Member (4 years) 
Joined: Jun 07, 2008
Posts: 392
From: 16 miles from The Mai-Kai
| Posted: 2011-04-15 08:49 am Permalink
It's pretty darn similar. As you may or may not know, many of the Mai-Kai drinks are direct descendants, if not exact copies, of Don the Beachcomber drinks. Many remain unchanged since the restaurant's 1956 opening.
The Zombie is a great example and my favorite Mai-Kai drink. The flavor profile is very similar to the 1934 version, probably more so than any other version. It's definitely not a copy of the sweeter, simpler 1950 Zombie.
Your initial sips of this drink yield strong cinnamon, Pernod and mint flavors and by the second or third sip you're savoring the strong rums. Although the Mai-Kai apparently no longer pours Demerara, there's most likely a 151 at play here. I'd call this a slight variation of the Donn Beach original.
For those craving more knowledge (and more than a few Zombies), I'd highly recommend Beachbum Berry's seminar at the upcoming Zombie Jamboree on Monday, April 25, at the Mai-Kai:
http://www.rumrenaissance.com/ZombieJamboree.html
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=103023413117240
Not only will the Bum grace us with an enlightening presentation (and drink samples), but afterwards you'll be able to sample up to a dozen different contemporary Zombie recipes as bartenders compete to see who can put the best spin on the classic. It's all part of the annual Miami Rum Renaissance Festival.
I'm one of the contestants and will be competing against a slew of industry professionals and rum representatives. Hopefully I'll represent Tiki Central and the home Tiki bartender community proudly. I'll post photos and a report on the event here:
http://www.tikiroom.com/tikicentral/bb/viewtopic.php?topic=39635&forum=4
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Swanky
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 03, 2002
Posts: 4807
From: Hapa Haole Hideaway, TN
| Posted: 2011-04-15 09:43 am Permalink
The Mai-Kai version is much less strong than the 34 Punch of course. A stronger cinnamon flavor (at least as I make the Punch.)
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Hurricane Hayward
Grand Member (4 years)
Joined: Jun 07, 2008
Posts: 392
From: 16 miles from The Mai-Kai
| Posted: 2012-05-08 5:39 pm Permalink
Great news: Lemon Hart 151 has returned to The Mai-Kai. The Zombie is now even better ...
http://www.slammie.com/atomicgrog/blog/2012/05/08/rums-of-the-mai-kai-legendary-lemon-hart-returns-to-the-promised-land/
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Featuring The Mai-Kai Cocktail Guide
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