Jungle Bird Cocktail

By
Colleen Graham
Photo of Colleen Graham
Colleen Graham
Freelance writer and cocktail book author Colleen Graham is a seasoned mixologist who loves sharing her knowledge of spirits and passion for preparing drinks.
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Updated on 05/13/21
Tested by
Sean Michael Johnson
Photo of Sean Michael Johnson
Tested by Sean Michael Johnson
Sean is an award-winning bartender with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He is the head bartender at the two-Michelin-star restaurant, Gabriel Kreuther, crafting cocktail menus that have caught international attention. To date, he has made over 1 million cocktails, and counting.
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Jungle Bird Cocktail

The Spruce / S&C Design Studios
Prep: 3 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Total: 3 mins
Serving: 1 serving
Yield: 1 cocktail
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
265 Calories
0g Fat
34g Carbs
1g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 1
Amount per serving
Calories 265
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 3mg 0%
Total Carbohydrate 34g 12%
Dietary Fiber 2g 6%
Total Sugars 29g
Protein 1g
Vitamin C 65mg 326%
Calcium 23mg 2%
Iron 0mg 3%
Potassium 190mg 4%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

The jungle bird is a fun tropical rum cocktail that has a few interesting twists. It was created in the early '70s at the famed Aviary Bar inside Malaysia's Kuala Lumpur Hilton. If you're looking for a great-tasting rum cocktail that gives you the chance to play with a cool garnish, it's hard to beat this recipe!

Rum, pineapple, and lime are typically found in tropical cocktails, but Campari is definitely not a common ingredient. Usually reserved for dry dinner drinks like the Negroni, the bitter aperitif works surprisingly well in this mix. The fruits help smooth out its bitterness while the dark rum and simple syrup bring in a touch of sweetness that draws it all together beautifully.

The real star of the show here is the garnish. You'll use a pineapple wedge and a few leaves along with a cherry to create a "jungle bird" adornment for the glass. It's really simple to put together and the effect is spectacular. If you normally skip the garnish on your drinks, be sure to add this one.

0:28

Click Play to See This Tangy Jungle Bird Cocktail Come Together

"This cocktail has enjoyed a resurgence in the last decade, appearing on menus of trendy cocktail bars. If bitter isn’t your favorite sensation, tread lightly. While the strength of the rum and the sweetness of the pineapple serves as a strong foundation, Campari is the center at which all other flavors surrender." —Sean Johnson

Jungle Bird Cocktail
A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 ounces dark rum

  • 3/4 ounce Campari

  • 1 1/2 ounces pineapple juice

  • 1/2 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice

  • 1/2 ounce simple syrup

  • Pineapple wedge and leaves, for garnish

  • Maraschino cherry, for garnish

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for a Jungle Bird Cocktail
    The Spruce / S&C Design Studios

  2. In a cocktail shaker, pour the rum, Campari, pineapple and lime juices, and simple syrup.

    Mixing a Jungle Bird Cocktail
    The Spruce / S&C Design Studios

  3. Shake vigorously.

    Shaking the Jungle Bird Cocktail
    The Spruce / S&C Design Studios

  4. Strain into an old-fashioned glass with a single large ice cube.

    Straining the Jungle Bird Cocktail
    The Spruce / S&C Design Studios

  5. Garnish with a pineapple wedge adorned with a cherry and pineapple leaves to look like a jungle bird. Serve and enjoy.

    Jungle Bird Cocktail
    The Spruce / S&C Design Studios

How to Create the Jungle Bird Garnish

Cut a pineapple ring that's about 1/2-inch thick then cut it into triangular wedges. Pull a few leaves of varying sizes from the pineapple and stack them up on top of one another; place the shortest on top and line up the white ends. Use a cocktail skewer to pin a maraschino cherry on top of the leaves and through the pineapple wedge. Fan out the leaves to mimic a bird's tail feathers and rest the garnish inside the glass.

Tips

  • Like many popular cocktails, everyone seems to have their own preference for the rum in the jungle bird. Dark rum is recommended over white rum, and the bold flavors of Jamaican rum is a favorite. You might also want to try a blackstrap (e.g., Cruzan), Goslings Black Seal, or Bacardi Dark.
  • The jungle bird is almost always served over a single large piece of ice. It's easy to find 2-inch square molds, or you can use an ice ball. Either way, it will keep your drink refreshingly cold while minimizing the dilution.
  • For the lime juice, it's easiest to squeeze the juice of half a lime directly into the shaker.
  • To balance out the drink's flavor, use a rich simple syrup (2 parts sugar to 1 part water). White sugar works well, and demerara sugar is an excellent choice, too.
  • Fresh pineapple juice is also recommended and you'll get the highest yield from an electric juicer. A muddler is not as efficient, but it will work: Place about 1 cup of pineapple cubes in the shaker and muddle very well to get as much juice as possible. Leave the pineapple in the shaker and continue mixing the drink (the agitation will help produce more juice).

Who Created the Jungle Bird Cocktail?

The first written recipe for the jungle bird was unearthed by Jeff "Beachbum" Berry in "The New American Bartender's Guide" (originally published in 1989), which he wrote about in the book "Intoxica" (2003). Though the drink's creation date is often attributed to 1978, Kim Choong traced it to the earlier part of that decade from people who worked at the Kuala Lumpur Hilton. It was most likely invented around 1973 by beverage manager Jeffrey Ong when the hotel opened. Served as a welcoming drink to guests, it was named in honor of The Aviary Bar's apparently impressive display of captive birds. Once rediscovered, bartenders became enamored by the Malaysian cocktail's intertwining of classic and tiki cocktail styles, as well as its ease of preparation. Today, it appears on drink menus in bars that otherwise shy away from tropical drinks and has inspired a number of modern twists.

How Strong Is a Jungle Bird?

Dark rums can vary in intensity, so the jungle bird's alcohol content will as well. However, it's always going to be a relatively mild cocktail and just a little stronger than a glass of wine. For example, when made with 80 proof rum, it weighs in around 15 percent ABV (30 proof).

Article Sources
The Spruce Eats uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

  1. Kim Choong. Finding the Creator of Jungle Bird. Thirst Magazine. Published 2016