Jungle Bird Cocktail (Tiki Cocktail)

three jungle bird tiki cocktails garnished with fruit on a marble surface with melting ice and a cocktail jigger.

Why I love this tiki cocktail recipe

I have to be honest, sweet punchy cocktails aren’t really my thing, but this jungle bird cocktail mixes its sweetness with a hint of bitter, thanks to the addition of Campari. The combination is truly magical and has converted me from a skeptic to a tiki fanatic. I even tried all sorts of rum cocktails on our trip to Key West a few weeks ago.

What does a jungle bird taste like?

The jungle bird cocktail is a sweet, tropical rum cocktail that’s made with pineapple and lime juices and balanced with the bitter flavor of amaro and a hint of almond liqueur. It’s a classic tiki cocktail at it’s finest and it’s potency is masked by the layers of flavor.

three tiki cocktails in front of a dark wood surface

Here are some things you might need to make it

Glass rimmer

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cocktail jigger

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cutting board

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Ingredients

Dark rum – Feel free to customize with whatever kind you like. Spiced, white, or even a flavored rum will work. Gin also works really well here and adds a lovely herbal note to the cocktail.
Pineapple juice
Lime juice
Simple syrup (or almond liqueur) – Traditionally, this drink is made with demerara syrup, but I love the addition of almond liqueur for this drink because it adds just a little variation on the flavor and a little more booze. We usually use creme de noyaux because we have it on hand from making our favorite pink squirrel cocktail. You can also use amaretto, orgeat or even simple syrup.

How to make a jungle bird cocktail

Measure your ingredients. Combine the rum, juices, Campari and almond liqueur (or simple syrup) in a cocktail shaker over ice.

Shake until cold. Cover the shaker and shake until the ingredients are very cold. I like to do this until I can’t take the cold anymore, but just shake until you think it’s cold. You don’t want to dilute the drink too much.

Strain and garnish. Pour the jungle bird into glasses filled with ice and garnish with a cherry and a pineapple slice. Or get fancy and use whatever you want really.

hand reaching for a jungle bird cocktail garnished with a pineapple slice, pineapple leaf and a luxardo maraschino cherry.

Common questions about the jungle bird cocktail

What kind of rum goes in a jungle bird?

Traditionally blackstrap or Jamaican rum is used to make a jungle bird cocktail. While that is the traditional choice, you can play around with other kinds of rum and even other types of liquor to create a drink that suits your taste.

Who created the jungle bird cocktail?

The jungle bird cocktail can be traced Jeffrey Ong, the beverage manager at the KL Hilton in Kuala Lumpur. It was later refined by Giuseppe Gonzalez who solidified the use of blackstrap rum in the traditional cocktail.

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