Jungle Bird

The Jungle Bird is a "modern" tiki drink, originating at the Hilton Kuala Lumpur in the 1970s, decades after the heyday of the tiki culture. It is unique in its use of Campari, an Italian apéritif with a striking red color. Campari's intense bitterness makes it a tricky ingredient which can overpower a cocktail if not used carefully. This is a perfect cocktail for Campari beginners, as the bitterness is present, but balanced out by the other ingredients. Today, it was a perfect way to celebrate the start of spring break on the porch. 

Although the original recipe apparently called for 4 ounces of pineapple juice (similar to a Painkiller), the typical recipe found many places online calls for just 1 1/2 ounces. My version is a modification of Martin Cate's recipe from Smuggler's Cove, which uses 2 ounces. Pineapple juice is an amazing ingredient in shaken cocktails, giving them a lovely froth on top without having to mess with an egg white. In contrast to citrus (fresh lime is required here), canned pineapple juice works just fine. Since Cate calls for a sweeter simple syrup than I typically use, I increased the amount a little. The bitterness of the Campari plays very well with the fruit juice and syrup in this cocktail. 

For the rum component, Cate and others call for a black rum. Gosling's Black Seal is probably the most commonly available. I decided to kick it up a notch by mixing in some fiery Smith & Cross for a little Jamaican funk. There's definitely a lot of latitude in rum choice. If you get 1 1/2 ounces of rum you like in the drink, you did it right. People tend to go nuts on the garnish on the Jungle Bird, but I kept it simple by dropping in a couple of amarena cherries. The red-orange color and froth make for a distinctive presentation all on their own.

Ingredients

• 2 oz. Pineapple juice 
• 1/2 oz. fresh lime juice
• 3/4 oz. demerara simple syrup (1:1 demerara sugar and water by weight)
• 3/4 oz. Campari
• 1/2 oz. Smith & Cross Jamaica rum
• 1 oz. Gosling's Black Seal rum
• Garnish: cocktail cherries

Equipment

• Cocktail shaker and strainer
• Old fashioned glass

Instructions

Fill glass halfway with ice. Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Add ice, seal, and shake hard until cold. Strain into the glass and garnish with cocktail cherries.