Walkers, the living dead, zombies — whatever you call these roaming corpses, they're the focus of the second installment of On the Sauce's three-part Halloween cocktail series. If you missed last week's vampire-driven drinks, peep those, too.
Now, some might think the obvious complement to a zombie-themed movie night is a Corpse Reviver. Its name couldn't be any more perfect, but the cocktail itself isn’t exactly spooky. Instead, we're making a spinoff of one of my mom's favorite drinks, The Bushwacker.
Though the cocktail supposedly originated in Pensacola Beach, Mom first tried it on an island cruise and had to bring the recipe home with her. For the uninitiated, picture a more complex (and more delicious, IMO) version of a mudslide. A Bushwacker probably isn't the best everyday drink, but for special occasions, it's great. Since Halloween is our occasion, we'll call it The Zombiewacker.
In addition to the popular Walking Dead TV series (which returns Sunday), there are tons of fine flicks to pair with your Zombiewacker, including the classic Night of the Living Dead; Shaun of the Dead, Zombieland and Zombeavers (horror comedies); and Pontypool, a horror thriller that delivers an original take on the zombie genre.
A larger-than-usual amount of ingredients are needed to replicate this week's cocktail at home. But I promise, it's worth it.
Makes 1
1 part coffee liqueur
1 part Irish cream
1 part coconut rum
1 part vodka
1 part amaretto liqueur
1 part creme de coconut
Oreos, crumbled (for garnish)
Vanilla cookie tombstone (for garnish)
Add all ingredients to a blender with a couple handfuls of ice and blend until smooth. Pour into a rocks glass and garnish with Oreos and vanilla cookie tombstone. (I got my tombstone and icing for the "R.I.P." in a Halloween cookie-decorating kit from Target. You can substitute it with a Milano cookie and a ready-to-use icing tube.)
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This article appears in Oct 13-20, 2016.