The dead have put the squeeze on exotic passion fruit to make their favorite undead drink: the passion fruit zombie.
Passion Fruit Zombie
By Sue Lau | Palatable Pastime
Today my recipe of the day is for a Passion Fruit Zombie cocktail as part of a sponsored event for #FreakyFruitsFriday, spearheaded by Camilla Mann and sponsored by Melissa’s Produce with the Festive Foodies blogging group. A huge thank you to Melissa’s for providing a spectacular fruit box for the bloggers to play with and create. We had a lot of fun here!
Those were the Days, My Friend!
The days, that is, of Tom Hsu’s Hunan Cafe on Hampton Avenue, St. Louis, which was a hot spot for awhile before he sold it and opened Hunan Star out in west county, which still operates today.
We would order lots of tiki drinks there and share the ones served in large bowls with straws for 2-4 people. The blends of tropical juices, rums, and other flavors were somewhat exotic and playful. And they certainly made the wait to be seated at a table for dinner a lot more bearable! After that, we’d gorge ourselves on his dim sum. Does anyone out there remember this place?
This particular drink is a riff on the original 1934 Donn Beach (Don the Beachcomber) version, the one that gets credit for starting the whole Tiki craze, in this case made using fresh passion fruit juice. If you’ve never tried fresh passion fruit juice, be warned – it’s very tart! But blended with sweeter juices and flavored syrups, it adds a distinctive and refreshing character to the drink.
My husband is very much into tiki and collects a lot of books on the subject as well as tons of tiki glasses. He is very up on the subject of Don the Beachcomber and told me quite a bit about him.
One of the syrups used in this is called falernum, which is a mix of lime, ginger, almond, and spices that makes appearances in a number of Tiki drinks. If you can’t find it in your local liquor store’s mixers and flavored syrups, there are several brands that can be ordered online. The amount used is small, but it’s an essential ingredient in the drink. I have an affiliate link to some if you need it (bottom of page).
Just remember – too many of these, and you may find yourself staggering around and moaning, just like a zombie.
Freaky Fruits Friday
Freaky Fruits Friday bloggers sponsored with product this month by our friends at:
Freaky Fruits Recipes (By the Group)
- Cast Iron Blood Orange Chicken Thighs by Amy at House of Nash Eats
- Chocolate Cupcakes with Dragonfruit Frosting by Heather at Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
- Cinnamon Pancakes with Blood Orange Syrup by Terri at Our Good Life
- Dragon Fruit & Papaya Pico de Gallo by Colleen at Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
- Freaky Blood Orange Sangria by Anne at Simple and Savory
- Passion Fruit Zombie by Sue at Palatable Pastime
- Sauteed Chayote Squash, Onions, Garlic and Rosemary by Ellen at Family Around the Table
- Seafood Stuffed Chayote Squash by Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Tex-Mex Sheet Pan Breakfast by Carlee at Cooking with Carlee
- Whole Vermilion Snapper with Fennel and Blood Oranges by Camilla at Culinary Adventures with Camilla
Passion Fruit Zombie
Ingredients:
- 5 passion fruit
- 6 ounces pineapple juice
- 2 ounces orange juice
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon coffee syrup
- 2 ounces Jamaican aged rum
- 1 ounce Puerto Rican gold rum
- 3/4 ounce lime juice
- 1/2 ounce Falernum
- 1/8 teaspoon Pernod
- 1 teaspoon grenadine syrup
- dash Angostura bitters
- 1 teaspoon superfine sugar
- 2 cups crushed ice
Method:
- Split passion fruit and scoop out the pulp into a strainer set over something to catch the juice in.
- Press fruit juices through strainer and discard the solids.
- Place the juice along with all other ingredients into a cocktail shaker with the crushed ice, and shake vigourously.
- Divide into two tiki glasses.
- I garnished with a spent fruit shell.
From the kitchen at palatablepastime.com
You Might Also Like:
Where to Purchase Equipment and Ingredients
For This Recipe (plus my fav picks):
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links which offer sources for ingredients and equipment, if needed. Clicking on them doesn’t cost you anything but helps pay the electric bill and keep the blog lights on should you purchase anything during your visit! Thanks for your support.
*Disclosure: I received complimentary product from the sponsor for use in recipe development, however, I have received no additional compensation for my post. All opinions are my own.
I tried my passion fruit in a cocktail as well but I pureed the fruit with the pulp, seeds and rind to make the simple syrup. Huge fail. I guess I should have stuck to just the pulp because yours sounds wonderful.
Pressing the pulp through the strainer works fabulously.
My daughter loves tiki drinks! I adore that glass you served them in!