Jungle Bird Cocktail

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PREP TIME 5 min

Cocktail Type

Rum

Great for

Summer

Difficulty

Easy

Jungle Bird cocktail with fresh pineapple wedge garnish

The Jungle Bird cocktail is such a showstopper, it’s no wonder it’s Malaysia’s national drink. While it contains Campari, it differs from the classically bitter cocktails with Campari like the Negroni, as the Jungle Bird cocktail recipe makes a much sweeter sip. With caramel tones of rum, fresh sweet pineapple and lime juice, this drink is perfect for those who enjoy a sweeter drink.

 

QUICK TIPS

01

Make your simple syrup with a molasses or demerara sugar for a richer tropical tone 

02

For full jungle vibes, juice or buy freshly squeezed pineapple juice  

03

For a sweeter sip with less bitter, just add a little less Campari 

INGREDIENTS

MAKE FOR

1 Person

0.75 Oz

22.5 Ml

0.75 Parts

1.5 Oz

45 Ml

1.5 Parts

fresh pineapple juice
0.5 Oz

15 Ml

0.5 Parts

lime juice, freshly squeezed
0.5 Oz

15 Ml

0.5 Parts

simple syrup
To garnish, pineapple triangles and fronds, a slice of lime (optional)
To garnish a Maraschino cherry (optional)
ice

INSTRUCTIONS

01

Add all your ingredients to a shaker or mason jar 

02

Add a handful of ice and shake until ice-cold 

03

Strain into a tumbler over fresh ice 

04

Garnish with pineapple triangles and fronds 

What is a Jungle Bird Cocktail?

The Jungle Bird cocktail history unfolds at the Hilton Hotel in Kuala Lumpur in 1973, where Jeffrey Ong aptly developed this welcome drink for the Aviary Bar. It was even served in crazy bird-shaped containers! For a cocktail that uses Campari, it’s surprisingly sweet and not at all bitter. While the bird-shaped glasses are optional, a Jungle Bird cocktail should look as tropical as it tastes so garnish with a few pineapple fronds for the final ta-da this cocktail deserves.

How to make a Jungle Bird cocktail

To make our Jungle Bird Cocktail recipe, you’ll need a decent Jamaican rum. We love Appleton Estate Signature Rum (it’s award-winning) as it lines the palette with sweet molasses and peach notes. If you’re a rum fan, try an 8-year-old reserve that gives deeper vanilla and orange flavors.

For the juice elements, choose freshly squeezed pineapple juice if you can, and make sure you squeeze your limes at the last minute for the ultimate zing. Don’t forget to balance the tartness with either a store-bought or homemade simple syrup.

Rum, pineapple, and lime are usual suspects in a tropical drink, however, this combination doesn’t often see the addition of Campari. This undeniably Italian red spirit adds a very gentle tang and complexity to this otherwise overtly sweet cocktail, offering a hint of orange and botanicals. You’ll love it, we promise!

How to create a garnish for Jungle Bird cocktail

To garnish your Jungle Bird, pull three fronds from a fresh pineapple, trim them and poke them into your drink. For extra jazz, skewer a maraschino cherry through the white frond ends and into a pineapple wedge and rest in your glass.   

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

A Jungle Bird cocktail history stems from Kuala Lumpur’s Hilton in the 70s where the beverage manager, Jeffrey Ong, developed a fitting welcome drink for their Aviary Bar. Because this drink was Malaysia’s only internationally recognized drink, Jeffrey Ong became somewhat of a hero and was honored at his death in 2019.

A Jungle Bird is a tropical flavored cocktail developed in the humidity of Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur. It’s a fruity rum cocktail with pineapple and lime juice, along with a dash of simple syrup for extra sweetness and little Campari giving it a very gentle bitter undertone.

When you’re craving a refreshing sweet sip, a Jungle Bird cocktail is a perfect choice. It has all the tropical flavors together in one sip, making it ideal for summer fun.

If you don’t have Campari, use any other amaro instead like Aperol. But if you are nervous about the bitterness of Campari, you could reduce the amount, starting with quarter of an ounce. Or if you want to omit it, just add a dash of aromatic bitters to ease the sweetness.

A Jungle Bird is very sweet! The bitterness of Campari is overpowered by the caramel tones of the rum, the super sweet pineapple and the tangy sweet lime. The Campari adds necessary depth to this heavenly tropical drink.

Although the ingredients that Campari are not disclosed, we know it’s made with water and alcohol that’s infused with aromatics from plants and herbs.

Campari is an Italian bitter sweet liqueur around 25% ABV and made from infusing herb and fruit botanicals in water and alcohol. It’s added to cocktails to offer the quintessential aperitivo (pre-meal) bitterness that’s meant to stimulate the appetite.