The Jungle Bird cocktail dates back to the 1970s, when it was served as a welcome drink to visitors of the former Kuala Lumpur Hilton, which opened in 1973. The cocktail was crafted by Jeffrey Ong inside the hotel’s Aviary Bar, hence the drink’s name, and the Jungle Bird is said to have been served inside a porcelain bird-shaped vessel.
The Jungle Bird made its recipe-book debut in 1989, when it appeared in “The New American Bartender’s Guide” by John J. Poister. It was later cataloged in Jeff “Beachbum” Berry’s book “Intoxica,” first published in 2002. Despite the drink’s popularity in Malaysia and its recipe having been recorded for posterity, the drink took a few decades to gain traction outside its home country. But today, the Jungle Bird is a fixture on Tiki bar menus and cocktail bar menus.
Ingredients
1 1/2 ounces dark or black strap rum
3/4 ounce Campari
1 1/2 ounces pineapple juice
1/2 ounce lime juice, freshly squeezed
1/2 ounce demerara syrup
Garnish: pineapple wedge
Steps
Add the rum, Campari, pineapple juice, lime juice and demerara syrup into a shaker with ice and shake until well-chilled.
Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice.
Garnish with a pineapple wedge.
Put on your sungalsses, play your "beach sounds" playlist, sit back and enjoy!
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