Donn Beach invented the Zombie in 1934 at his Hollywood restaurant: Don the Beachcomber. Beach, formerly known as Ernest Raymond Beaumont-Gantt, is the father of tiki cocktail culture. He called the Zombie “a mender of broken dreams.” As he did with all his signature cocktails, which were exotically-named and crafted from various rums, liqueurs, proprietary blends, and syrups, he protected the recipe fiercely. Beach labeled unmarked bottles behind his bar numerically, then wrote recipes written in accordance with the numbers. They weren’t just complicated; they were encrypted. Not even staff knew what they were mixing.
Source: The Zombie – Gastro Obscura
