Jungle Bird

4 oz Pineapple juice
1 1⁄2 oz Jamaican rum (Dark)
1⁄2 oz Campari
1⁄2 oz Lime juice
1⁄2 oz Simple syrup
1 sli Orange (as garnish)
1 sli Lemon (as garnish)
1 Cherry (as garnish)
Instructions

Shake well with plenty of ice and pour without straining into an old fashioned glass. Garnish with an orchid and a cherry speared to a lemon and orange wheel.

Notes

Sam Ross recommends reducing pineapple to 1 1/2 oz. Guiseppe Gonzalez suggests the use of Cruzan Blackstrap. Some bars use a 4:2:1:1:1 ratio of pineapple:rum:lime:Campari:Turbinado syrup.

SteveTheBartender notes that the original recipe from the hotel is 3:1:1:1/2:1/2 https://thirstmag.com/drinks/The-truth-about-Jungle-Bird-classic-cockta…

History

From the Aviary Bar at the Kuala Lumpur Hilton

Cocktail summary
Created by
Jeffrey Ong
Year
1973
Is an
authentic recipe
Reference

Beachbum Berry Remixed, pg. 133

Curator
Not yet rated
Average
4.5 stars
(70 ratings)
YieldsDrink
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From other users
  • Amazing! I used the Smuggler's Cove recipe. 2oz pineapple, 3/4 oz Campari. Will definitely make again but would like to try with 1/2oz Campari next time
  • One of the best Tiki drinks I've tried! Great platform to showcase flavorful rums (more subtle rums will get lost). Use half the pineapple juice that the recipe calls for. — ★★★★★
  • Really between a 3-4. Can’t particularly taste the alcohol. Not a lot of complexity as is. Recommend 1-1.5 oz pineapple juice
  • 1.5 Blackstrap, 1.5 Pineapple, 3/4 Campari, 1/2 Lime, 1/2 Simple
  • No garnish, 1.5 oz pineapple, 3/4 oz campari
  • 1 oz OFTD, 0.5 oz Cruzan Black Strap, 1.5 oz pineapple juice, 0.75 oz Campari, 0.5 oz lime juice and 0.5 oz simple
  • Made with 1.5 oz Pineapple Juice and Blackstrap
  • The best tiki cocktail? Make with 1½ as per Sam Ross. I'd like to try some of the variations/tweaks in the comments.
  • try 2oz. pinepple juice
  • Made with Appleton 12, 1 1/2 oz. pineapple, 3/4 oz. Campari, really great balanced. — ★★★★★
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Comments

I love this drink, but prefer it with 1 1/2 oz pineapple juice. Really nice with Smith&Cross as well. Sam Ross has a version with Blackstrap, but unfortunately that is not available here.

I think that this is plenty sweet without the simple, and I agree that there's too much pineapple in it. It might be interesting with much more lime, more Campari, and Smith & Cross.

Thanks,

Zachary

Dan commented on 9/30/2012:

Read the comment too late to adjust tonight's cocktail. Yes, was too much pineapple. Simple probably not needed if pineapple isn't too tart.

I adjusted the pineapple juice down to 2 oz and got rid of the simple syrup (my pineapple juice is sweet enough as is). With that mix there is a fine balance between the Campari, the lime juice, and the rum. I have also sucessfully substituted Lemon Hart 151 for the Blackstrap. (You need a strong flavored rum for a good balance). Wray & Nephew and Cruzan 151 are not optimal choices for this drink.

I highly recommend following Sam Ross' lead and decreasing the pineapple juice to 1 1/2 oz. At that ratio it's a sensational drink. A collection of extreme flavors that don't sit in a conventional "balance" so much as they complement and magnify each other. Extraordinary.

As much as I love it, I don't recommend Smith & Cross for this drink at least on its own; you want the deep molasses notes from the Black Strap, or barring that mix a dark Jamaican like Coruba or Meyer's with a dash or two of Angostura or chocolate bitters. A S&C float might not be out of place. Simple may or may not be needed, depending on the tartness of your juices, the sweetness of your rum, and your own taste.

Dan commented on 2/25/2013:

Thank you. I incorporated Sam's recommendation into the notes above as I think it is a worthy and important improvement to the authentic version.

Great! It's worth noting that the original recipe calls for dark Jamaican rum, according to Berry. Black Strap is Giuseppe Gonzalez's substitution (and improvement).

This is really, really good with Sam Ross' recipe using Cacao Prieto's (very dry) Don Esteban chocolate rum "liqueur" in place of the Blackstrap.

A slight recipe tweak developed by Giuseppe Gonzalez of Painkiller (NYC) and that can be currently found on the menu at Milk & Honey NYC (thanks to head barman Theo Lieberman), has a dash more Campari (.75) and much less pineapple juice (.5) -- making rum and Campari the dominant flavours, a more bitter and alcoholic drink (also heavily reliant on the quality of the pineapple juice). It's the best variation I've tasted. <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/09/dining/a-bird-walks-into-a-bar.html?_… NYT piece explains it</a>.

I have a slight preference for 1.5:1.5:0.75:0.5:0.5 ratio (possibly even slightly less juice or simple).

Smith+Cross, alone, would overpower. But 1 oz Barbancourt or even Goslings with a 1/2 oz of S+C is tasty.

I prefer this version over the variants that call for passionfruit syrup and/or pineapple rum.