Jungle Bird Recipe

Place 6 oz Aperol in a small jar. Split 1 fresh Thai bird's eye chili lengthwise, remove seeds if you want milder heat, and add it to the Aperol. Seal jar and let infuse at room temperature for 12–24 hours, tasting after 6–8 hours to check heat. When it reaches desired spiciness, strain out the chili and transfer infused Aperol to a bottle. Yields enough for multiple cocktails; refrigerate up to 2 weeks.

Combine 0.5 cup cane sugar and 0.5 cup water in a small saucepan. Heat gently, stirring until sugar fully dissolves. Remove from heat and cool. Store in fridge up to 2 weeks. Use 0.5 oz per cocktail.

Prepare glass

Fill a Collins or rocks glass with crushed ice and set aside to chill while you mix the drink.

Combine ingredients

In a cocktail shaker, add 2 oz Myers's Dark Rum, 0.75 oz Thai chili–infused Aperol, 1.5 oz fresh pineapple juice, 0.5 oz fresh lime juice, and 0.5 oz cane sugar syrup. Add a small handful of ice (not the crushed ice from the glass) to the shaker.

Shake

Shake vigorously for 10–15 seconds until the shaker is cold and well-diluted.

Strain and serve

Double-strain (or fine-strain) the mixture over the chilled glass filled with crushed ice. Top with 2 dashes of bitters if using.

Garnish

Garnish with a pineapple wedge or a pineapple leaf and a single slice of Thai chili on top (or skewered on the wedge). Serve with a straw.