The Salty Bird

Name: The Salty Bird
Prep time: 3 min
Total time: 3 min
Yield: 1 serving
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: White rum — 45 ml (1 1/2 oz); Red bitter (e.g., Campari) — 20 ml (2/3 oz); Pineapple juice — 45 ml (1 1/2 oz); Lime juice (freshly squeezed) — 15 ml (1/2 oz); Sugar syrup (2:1) — 10 ml (1/3 oz); Saline solution (opt.) — 4 dashes

A bitter and fruity rum cocktail ∙ Shake ∙ 3 min ∙ 11.5% ABV ∙

The Salty Bird is a shaken rum sour pairing white rum and a red bitter such as Campari with pineapple and lime juice, served long over ice.

Ingredients

Servings

Garnish

Dehydrated pineapple

Instructions for 1 serving

Pre-chill a glass
Shake all ingredients with ice: White rum 45 mlRed bitter 20 mlPineapple juice 45 mlLime juice 15 mlSugar syrup 10 mlSaline solution 4 dashes (opt.)
Strain into the ice-filled glass
Garnish with dehydrated pineapple

Tips

If you use the saline, add it a dash at a time and taste as you go; a few drops sharpen the flavor without tasting salty.

History

The Salty Bird is credited to bartender Lauren Schell, and the recipe was promoted by Campari in 2013. Some accounts credit the drink as developed in tandem with Theo Lieberman, then of Milk & Honey in New York, whose serve included a dehydrated pineapple garnish infused with Campari.

The cocktail is a twist on the Jungle Bird, the tiki-bar drink first documented in 1978 at the Aviary Bar in the Hilton hotel in Kuala Lumpur. The Salty Bird tempers that drink's bitterness with a savory, saline edge while keeping the Jungle Bird's rum-and-Campari base.