Had a Jungle Bird lately? The once obscure Tiki drink is becoming a craft bartender’s darling, joining the ranks of classics like the Manhattan and the Negroni.
Why are people now going cuckoo for the cocktail? According to a New York Times article, one reason is the Jungle Bird’s simplicity. It has only five ingredients: rum, Campari, pineapple and lime juices and simple syrup.
Another thing, says Theo Lieberman, head bartender at Milk & Honey in New York, is that the two big drinks for bartenders in New York are Negronis and daiquiris, “and the Jungle Bird is kind of a perfect hybrid between the two.” The Campari in particular appeals to today’s amaro-loving bartenders.
The drink was invented at the Kuala Lumpur Hilton in 1978. Tiki historian Jeff Berry found the recipe in a 1989 paperback, “The New American Bartender’s Guide,” and reprinted it in his 2002 book, “Intoxica!” That recipe has been tweaked in recent years, with mixologists replacing the dark Jamaica rum it called fro with the more intense blackstrap rum.
Read the full article here.