Tiki drinks are usually all sweetness and spice, and this one brings a bitter edge. Campari cuts through ripe pineapple and dark molasses rum, and a hard shake gives the drink a light, frothy top.
1½ oz
dark rum ideally a blackstrap or Jamaican dark rume.g. Gosling's · Myers's · Captain Morgan · Bacardi · Kraken
¾ oz
CampariBuy on Amazon →
1½ oz
pineapple juice fresh if possible
½ oz
lime juice
½ oz
demerara syrup
Garnish: Pineapple wedge and leaves · Ice: Ice cubes
Jungle Bird
Ripe pineapple and dark molasses rum meet Campari's bitter orange, with lime keeping it bright. Fruity, bittersweet and medium strength.
The Jungle Bird comes from the Aviary Bar of the Kuala Lumpur Hilton in Malaysia, where it was served as a welcome drink after the hotel opened in the 1970s. Its creation is usually credited to the bar's head bartender, Jeffrey Ong, and the drink name matched the bar's bird-themed setting.
For years it was almost forgotten. Tiki historian Jeff "Beachbum" Berry included it in his book "Intoxica" in 2002, and in the following decade New York bartender Giuseppe González reworked it with blackstrap rum and less pineapple juice, making it richer and more bitter. That modern spec turned the Jungle Bird into one of the most popular drinks of the tiki revival and a favourite among Campari lovers.
From the Aviary Bar of the Kuala Lumpur Hilton in Malaysia, where it was created in the 1970s.
A dark, rich rum. Blackstrap rum or a dark Jamaican rum works best against the Campari.
Pleasantly so. The Campari gives a clear bitter note, but the pineapple and syrup keep it balanced.
The perfect sound
Bitter jungle adventure with a tropical glow.
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