Chase the Flavors

The Jungle Bird might just be my desert island cocktail. I had it for the first time this past year at Scotch and Soda when I ordered the bartender's choice option. Is that something you're into? Bartender's choice? I tend to love it when it's built into the menu because I'm steered into flavor directions that I might not normally take myself and there's something really satisfying about bellying up to the bar and letting the bartender do their thing. With the risk of ending up with a drink less than thrilling is the chance of discovering a new love affair.

The Jungle Bird traces back to the Aviary Bar in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in the late 1970s using Jamaican rum as the base. Modern versions swap in blackstrap rum, full and molasses-forward, giving this tropically-inspired cocktail a wonderful complexity when meshed against the beautiful bitterness of Campari and pineapple and lime juices. I love it, I love it, I love it. I'll swap in roasted or grilled pineapple with the cold and warm seasons, letting the concentrated fruit sweetness and smokiness amplify the drink even more. Also, that color!

Jungle Bird
Makes 1
1/2 ounce lime juice, freshly squeezed
3/4 ounce Campari
1 1/2 ounces pineapple juice, muddled from fresh pineapples (optional: roast or grill pineapples first)
1 1/2 ounces blackstrap rum
1/2 ounce simple syrup

Combine lime juice, Campari, pineapple juice, rum and simple syrup in a cocktail shaker. Add ice and shake vigorously for at least 30 seconds. Strain onto a large ice cube in a mule mug or a rocks glass.

There's a lot to love about Pisco, the grape-based Peruvian spirit well-known for it's role in the Pisco Sour. Pisco has a velvety body, clean finish and a mild fruitiness about it, beyond the juiciness of grapes and into sweet citrus and the softness of apple and pear. The flavors fluctuate between growing regions and makers, sometimes into nuttiness, herbs or even warming spices. Naturally, Pisco is a wonderful addition to cocktails and the Pisco Sour is no exception.

This Saturday happens to be Peru's National Pisco Sour Day, an annual celebration that takes place on the second Saturday of February, not unlike National Pisco Day on the fourth Sunday of every July.

Let's celebrate the occasion with three Pisco-based cocktails: a traditional version of the Pisco Sour along with a Pisco Daisy and a Pisco Smash.

Pisco Sour

Pisco Sour
Serves 1
3 ounces Pisco
1 ounce lime juice
1/2 ounce simple syrup
1 egg white
Angostura bitters

Vigorously shake Pisco, lime juice, simple syrup and the egg white in a cocktail shaker for one minute. Add ice and shake an additional 10 seconds. Strain into a chilled coupe and add a dash of Angostura bitters.

Pisco Daisy

Pisco Daisy
Serves 1
2 ounces Pisco
1/2 ounce rum
1/2 ounce cointreau or other orange liqueur
1/2 ounce tangerine juice
soda water

Shake ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker and strain into a chilled martini glass. Top with soda water.

Pisco Smash

Pisco Smash
Serves 1
5-7 fresh mint leaves, plus a sprig for garnish
1/2 of a meyer lemon
3/4 ounce simple syrup
2 ounces Pisco

Muddle together mint leaves, meyer lemon and simples syrup in a cocktail shaker. Add Pisco and ice and shake. Strain into a rocks glass with fresh ice and garnish with a sprig of mint.

I hope you enjoy! -Mallory