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

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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.