The Jungle Bird is an unusual tiki cocktail that combines rum and pineapple with the Italian bitter liqueur Campari. It's the perfect balance of tropical fruit, sour citrus, and bittersweet botanicals and spices.
Story of the Jungle Bird
The Jungle Bird cocktail was born in Malaysia in the early 1970s. Bartender Jeffrey Ong See Teik created the drink for the Aviary Bar of the Kuala Lumpur Hilton hotel. The drink wasn't well known outside of Asia until the 2000s, when the book Intoxica! by Jeff "Beachbum" Berry helped introduce it to a wider audience.
In case it wasn't obvious, the cocktail's name was inspired by the bird-themed (Aviary) bar. In fact, it was some live birds kept in an area near the swimming pool (that could be seen from the bar) that were the specific inspiration, according to ThirstMag.com.
The Jungle Bird was served in a porcelain bird-shaped cup (see the photo above). Although not the traditional garnish, a modern take uses pineapple leaves as a garnish to mimic the appearance of bird feathers. Learn more about the Jungle Bird on ThirstMag.com.
Who this cocktail is for
The Jungle Bird is a delicious, complex, and well-balanced tropical drink that just about anyone will enjoy! It's an especially nice choice for those who like Campari or blackstrap rums, since those flavors really shine here. It's also a nice gateway drink if you're unsure about Campari.
The Jungle Bird was originally served as a welcome drink to the Hilton's hotel guests, and I think it would be a great drink to offer dinner party guests on arrival, too. It's a fun and festive drink that's also a bit sophisticated, making it perfect for special occasions like the holidays.
While tiki drinks might not be first in mind for Thanksgiving, I think the Jungle Bird is a great choice for the occasion! I might swap the simple syrup for cinnamon simple syrup or spiced simple syrup to make it even more festive for fall.
What does it taste like?
The Jungle Bird's unique lineup of ingredients gives it a unique flavor. It's tropical with sweet and tart pineapple juice, it's citrusy, a little bit spiced, and pleasantly bittersweet. The blackstrap rum gives depth to the drink with its rich, bold, molasses and spice flavor profile. The Jungle Bird is both complex and easy-sipping, which has helped solidify its place as a beloved modern tiki classic.
Ingredients
The Jungle Bird is made with five ingredients, and unlike some tiki cocktails, only one of them (simple syrup) requires advanced prep! Here's a breakdown of each ingredient and my recommendations.
Blackstrap rum
Blackstrap rum is a type of dark rum made from blackstrap molasses. Blackstrap molasses is a thick, rich sugar by-product that's sweet but also bitter. Blackstrap rum is heavy-bodied and has a robust molasses flavor. The two best known blackstrap-style rums are probably Gosling's Black Seal Rum (known for their iconic cocktail the Dark 'n Stormy) and Cruzan Black Strap Rum.
Campari
Campari is an iconic bright red, Italian bitter liqueur. It's most famous use is probably in the Negroni or Americano, but it's used in many other cocktails like the simple Garibaldi, too. Campari is made with a secret blend of botanicals and it has a strong bitter citrus flavor. Some of the most commonly described flavors of Campari are orange and grapefruit.
Fresh pineapple and lime juices
Fresh lime juice is a must, and fresh pineapple juice is ideal. Fresh pineapple juice has a brightness and acidity that bottled juice does not. If you're not able to juice your own pineapple for this, be sure to use an unsweetened canned or bottled juice. You'll need one and a half ounces of pineapple juice and a half ounce of lime juice.
How to juice pineapple for cocktails
If you don't have a juicer, you can use a blender and then strain out the pulp. If you don't have a blender, you can press chunks of pineapple with an elbow-style citrus squeezer. If you don't have a citrus squeezer...well, it's time to get one! Another option is to muddle pineapple chunks in your shaker or a glass and then strain the liquid.
Simple syrup
You'll need a half ounce (one tablespoon) of simple syrup to balance the sour and bitter flavors of the Jungle Bird. Many recipes call for demerara simple syrup, but you can make your syrup with whatever sugar you have on hand. White table sugar, turbinado, cane sugar, or demerara sugar are all good options.
Take the rum's molasses notes even further by making brown sugar simple syrup! Refer to my simple syrup guide or whip up a tiny batch by combining a quarter cup of sugar with a quarter cup of warm water. Stir until all of the sugar has dissolved. Store any leftovers in the fridge.
How to make the Jungle Bird
Once you've made your simple syrup and got your juices ready, the only thing that's left to do is measure, shake, and pour!
Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and fill it about three quarters with ice. Shake until very cold, about ten seconds. Then strain the liquid into a lowball glass or tiki mug filled with ice. Garnish with pineapple and a cherry.
How to garnish
The original garnish at the Aviary bar was a slice of orange, slice of lemon, maraschino cherry and an orchid. Today, it's common to garnish the Jungle Bird with a few pineapple leaves, giving the impression of a bird's tail feathers. I like to garnish mine with a pineapple wedge and a Luxardo cherry and then tuck a few small pineapple leaves behind for a bit of extra flourish. NYC bar Maison Premiere has an especially fancy Jungle Bird with a spectacular presentation.
What I love about this cocktail
What I love most about the Jungle Bird are the many layers of flavor without a ton of prep work. Many wonderful tiki cocktails (I'm looking at you, Pearl Diver) require quite a bit of legwork with syrups, juices, or just locating specific rums or liqueurs. The Jungle Bird is made with all easy to find and easy to make ingredients, making it the perfect gateway tiki drink for those new to the genre.
I also love that it's a step up in sophistication from one-or-two note tropical drinks like the Piña Colada or Painkiller, but it's not harder to make.
You may also enjoy these other cocktails:
Jungle Bird (Blackstrap Rum and Campari Cocktail)
Ingredients
- 1½ oz blackstrap rum such as Cruzan Black Strap Rum
- 1½ oz pineapple juice
- ¾ oz Campari
- ½ oz lime juice
- ½ oz simple syrup
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and fill it about three quarters with ice.
- Shake until chilled, then strain into a lowball glass or tiki mug filled with ice.
- Garnish with pineapple.