
The Jungle Bird is a tiki cocktail that is much easier to make than most. There are only 5 ingredients, and they are usually things most people have in their home bar. I’ve recently started to get more and more into tiki drinks after learning about their history, and I have to say that the jungle bird fits in with the best of them. Yesterday I posted a Paloma, so this is just continuing on the ‘bird’ trend.
The Jungle Bird was allegedly created in 1978 at The Aviary bar of the Kuala Lumpur Hilton. It has just five ingredients, but I did make two minor substitutions in my recipe for it that I think were a smart move. Probably the most notable thing about this drink however is the garnish. The pineapple fronds, fruit, and cherry are supposed to give the appearance of a tropical bird, hence the name.
How To Make The Jungle Bird Cocktail

Ingredients
- 50 ml Gold Rum. I used Havana Club Anejo Especial. The original recipe calls for dark rum, but I opted for a gold this time.
- 40 ml Pineapple Juice. Freshly pressed.
- 15 ml Campari
- 15 ml Lime Juice
- 15 ml Honey Syrup. This is just a 1:1 mix of honey and water. The original recipe called for simple syrup, but I wanted to see if honey syrup was better…I think it is.
Add all ingredients to a shaker with some ice and give a quick shake. Strain into a double rocks glass with a large ice ball, or crushed ice. Garnish with the traditional ‘Jungle Bird’ on the rim of the cocktail. While the traditional cherry is a Luxardo Maraschino, I opted this time for an Amarena as I prefer them.
If you are into making your own creations then you can use my guide to calculating the ABV of homemade cocktails!


The Jungle Bird
Equipment
- Cocktail Shaker
Ingredients
- 50 ml Gold Rum the traditional recipe calls for dark rum, but I opted for gold instead.
- 40 ml Pineapple Juice freshly pressed
- 15 ml Campari
- 15 ml Lime Juice
- 15 ml Honey Syrup the traditional recipe calls for regular simple syrup, but I find honey syrup to be fantastic in this cocktail.
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker with some ice and give a quick shake. Strain into a double rocks glass with a large piece of ice, or crushed ice.
- Make the jungle bird garnish by cutting a wedge of pineapple, three fronds, and an Amarena cherry (traditional recipe calls for a Luxardo Maraschino).

Delicious ?