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Cocktail History
The Jungle Bird is a classic cocktail that was created at the Aviary Bar in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia the 1970s. It’s considered to be a relative newcomer to the repertoire of classic tiki drinks and is also fairly simple compared to most because it’s made with just five ingredients: rum, Campari, citrus, simple syrup, and pineapple.
Cocktail Ingredients
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:
Dark Rum: This is a type of rum made with sugarcane, spices, and water that has been barrel aged for a long period of time. We used Appleton Estate Special Gold Rum because it has a delicious rum flavor with notes of vanilla and baking spices. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Caleño Non-Alcoholic Dark & Spicy Tropical Spirit in place of the rum.
Campari: This is a liqueur made in Italy with gentian root, rhubarb, citrus, herbs, aromatic plants, fruit, and alcohol. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Giffard Non-Alcoholic Bitter Syrup in place of the bitter liqueur.
Lime Juice: This is the liquid juice of a lime. We used freshly squeezed lime juice.
Simple Syrup: This is a sweetener made with white sugar and water. We made ours at home using Alex’s stovetop recipe.
Pineapple Juice: This is the liquid juice of a pineapple. We used fresh pineapple juice.
Lime Wheel: This is a lime slice that has been cut into a circular shape.
Bartending Tools
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following bar tools:
Jigger: This is used to measure and pour ingredients. We used the Japanese jigger from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.
Boston Shaker: This is used to shake ingredients. We used the Boston shaker from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.
Hawthorne Strainer: This is used to strain out ice and solid ingredients after the cocktail is shaken. We used the A Bar Above Hawthorne Strainer.
Pineapple Corer: This is used to remove the core of the pineapple before it’s juiced. We used the OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Pineapple Corer.
Paring Knife: This is used to cut ingredients. We used the OXO Good Grips 3.5 Inch Paring Knife.
Juicer: This is used to juice citrus, fruits, and vegetables. We used the ALEEHAI Manual Fruit Juicer for the lime and the Hamilton Beach Large Juicer for the pineapple.
Chef’s Knife: This is used to cut larger fruits and vegetables into slices for the garnish. We used the OXO Good Grips 8-Inch Chef’s Knife.
Tasting Notes
The Jungle Bird starts with the sweet-bitter aroma of Campari followed by the initial taste of pineapple, the warm notes of rum and tart citrus while held in the mouth, and then the lingering bitterness of the amaro after swallowing.
Our Opinion of This Cocktail Recipe: Using Campari in tiki drinks is definitely not for everyone, but the Jungle Bird makes it very palatable even for those like Kendall who don’t usually enjoy the bitter notes. As for those who do like Alex, this drink is an absolute pleasure! No wonder it’s all over Instagram.
Which of our palates is yours most like?
Find out if your palate is most similar to Alex’s or Kendall’s by answering five questions.
Which of our palates is yours most like?
Find out if your palate is most similar to Alex’s or Kendall’s by answering five questions.
Alex’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
“The Jungle Bird is the tiki answer to the Negroni, bringing the bright red color and telltale bitterness of the Italian Campari but balancing it with other tropical flavors like pineapple and lime and stretching it into a long drink. Because the Campari is the show stealer here, the rum ends up taking a bit of a back seat, but it, along with the other sweet and sour flavors, are able to create a drink that has a bitter note on the finish while still being tropical and fun through and through.”—
Kendall’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐
“Finally a Campari drink that I can tolerate for more than a single sip! Although still a bit too bitter for my taste especially when I’m in the mood for fruity tiki cocktails, the Jungle Bird has its place. I can see why those with more discerning palates are such big fans. The rum and pineapple do a good job of cutting the amaro’s bitterness without completely masking its unique flavor. Maybe in a couple of years I’m come back to this one and enjoy it even more as my own palate develops.”
Recipe
This cocktail recipe was adapted from The Essential Cocktail Book: A Complete Guide to Modern Drinks by the editors of PUNCH and Megan Krigbaum.
Add rum, Campari, lime juice, simple syrup, pineapple juice, and cubed ice to a shaker.
Shake for 10-20 seconds.
Strain into a tiki glass or highball glass over fresh cracked ice.
Garnish with lime wheel.
Ingredients
Directions
Add rum, Campari, lime juice, simple syrup, pineapple juice, and cubed ice to a shaker.
Shake for 10-20 seconds.
Strain into a tiki glass or highball glass over fresh cracked ice.
Garnish with lime wheel.
Make It a Mocktail: Use Caleño Non-Alcoholic Dark & Spicy Tropical Spirit in place of the rum and Giffard Non-Alcoholic Bitter Syrup in place of the bitter liqueur to try a booze-free version of this drink.
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More Tiki Cocktails
If you like this tiki cocktail recipe, here are a few others we’ve tried that you may enjoy:
Privateer: A tequila cocktail made with passion fruit syrup, pineapple juice, lime juice, smoke and salt bitters, rosemary, and Tajín
Ginger Inferno: A rum cocktail made with ginger liqueur, velvet falernum liqueur, lime juice, lemon juice, cinnamon syrup, a lime slice, and candied ginger
Iron Ranger (Variation): A whiskey cocktail made with pineapple juice, lemon juice, velvet falernum liqueur, cinnamon syrup, Angostura aromatic bitters, mint, and a cinnamon stick
Brancolada: A rum cocktail made with fernet-branca menta liqueur, pineapple juice, orange juice, coconut cream, mint, and an orange wedge
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