Applebee's Dollar Drinks - “Zombie” - Is it Good?

apricot brandy

🥗Healthier: peach schnapps

💰Cheaper: peach nectar

Peach schnapps offers a similar fruity flavor at a lower cost.

light rum

🥗Healthier: coconut rum

💰Cheaper: white rum

Coconut rum adds sweetness and flavor without significant calories.

dark rum

🥗Healthier: spiced rum

💰Cheaper: blackstrap rum

Spiced rum provides flavor complexity at a lower price.

grenadine

🥗Healthier: pomegranate syrup

💰Cheaper: cherry syrup

Cherry syrup can mimic the sweetness of grenadine.

Visit Applebee's to try the dollar zombie cocktail.

The drink is described as tasting like Kool-Aid with rum.

The waitress mentions Bacardi rum is used, but some locations may use off-brand rum.

The proprietary blue tropical mix includes passion fruit and cherry flavors.

The creator decides to use Hawaiian Punch Polar Blast as a substitute for the tropical mix.

Mix Hawaiian Punch with Bacardi rum, but finds it too watery and thin.

Add blue curaçao and lime juice to enhance flavor.

Use a plastic chili shaker instead of a standard shaker for mixing.

Add the entire mini bottle of Bacardi (50 ml) to the shaker.

Add 0.5 oz of blue curaçao and 0.5 oz of lime juice to the shaker.

Add 2 oz of Hawaiian Punch Polar Blast to the shaker, adjusting for glass size.

Top the drink with pebble ice and place a gummy eyeball on top.

Taste the drink and confirm it tastes close to the Applebee's version.

Decide to create a fancier version using a blend of two rums.

Use 1 oz of 10 to 1 rum and 1 oz of Grander Panama rum for the fancier version.

Add 0.5 oz of blue curaçao, 0.5 oz of toasted coconut syrup, and 1 oz of lime juice to the shaker.

Add two droppers of El Tiki bitters to the mixture.

Serve the fancier drink over pebble ice, topping with more pebble ice.

Drizzle a few drops of Tiki bitters on top for aroma.

Garnish with a gummy brain for presentation.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level: