I’m not bitter…….

But Campari certainly is. Campari is a bright red herbal liqueur. It’s referred to as an ‘apéritif’,which is fancy Euro talk for ‘supposed to stimulate your appetite and help with digestion’. What Campari is,is very bitter. It’s used in the classic Negroni cocktail as well as several Tiki drinks. It’s not to my personal taste,but if you like bitter drinks,you might want to give these a try.

Mix #106 Jungle Bird

1.5oz dark rum*
1.5oz pineapple juice
3/4oz Campari
1/2oz lime juice
1/2oz Demerara syrup

Shake with ice. Strain into glass with fresh ice.

*Many recipes use blackstrap rum.

Created by Jeffery Ong in the ’70’s,this was the signature cocktail of the Aviary Bar inside the Kuala Lumpur Hilton in Malaysia. The original recipe called for four ounces of pineapple juice,but in modern times this has been scaled back. You might want to put the extra juice back,as this is a pretty bitter drink. Not my thing,but it’s on enough menus that it is well liked.

Mix #107 Jungle Bird 2.0

1.5oz overproof Jamaican rum
1.5oz pineapple juice
1oz guava juice
1/2oz lime juice
1/2oz Campari
1/2oz Demerara syrup

Shake with ice and pour into glass.

From the back label of BG Reynolds’ Demerara syrup bottle,this is a riff on the classic that’s both sweeter and stronger. The Campari only comes through at the end,so I actually enjoyed this one. If the original is too much for you,try this. You can also sub in standard rum to reduce the octane.

Mix #108 Bitter Mai Tai

1oz Navy or overproof dark rum
1oz Campari
1oz lime juice
1/2oz curacao
1/2oz orgeat

Shake with ice and pour into Mai Tai glass.

Created by Death and Company bartender Jeremy Oertel,this is just what the name suggests;a very bitter Mai Tai. If you’re a Mai Tai fan,and like bitter drinks,this is for you.

Mix #109 Abrupt Landing

1oz Plantation OFTD
1oz Plantation Stiggins pineapple rum
1/2oz Campari
1/2oz falernum syrup*
1/2oz pineapple juice
1/2oz lime juice
2 dashes Angostura bitters
5 drops saline solution

Blend with 6oz of ice and pour into mug.

*If using falernum liqueur,add 1/4oz of simple syrup.

Created by Easy Tiki for The Search for Tiki’s “Trouble in Paradise” mug(pictured),this is quite bitter. If that’s your thing,this might be for you,but it didn’t work for me at all. I’m also not big on adding saline to drinks,but that’s another debate.

Along the lines of Campari is Aperol,a botanical liqueur that is less bitter. I used it in my previous mixing of the Winter Fling. If Campari is too much for you,you can try swapping Aperol in the drinks above to tone them down.

Salute and cin cin!