Sea Bird

You’ve probably seen a Jungle Bird or a Yellow Bird on the menu a time or two, but the Sea Bird might be a bit more foreign to you – probably because it’s a drink that we just recently started to play with. This cocktail is just as colorful as either of those other bird-drinks, but has refreshing, fruity flavor to it that makes it ideal for sea-side sipping – even if you aren’t at the shore. It starts with a blend of Midori and vanilla rum, tempered by pineapple and lime juice. We added a little bit of our spiced simple syrup to help bring out the pineapple and add another layer of flavor into the cocktail, though plain simple syrup would also work in this drink, as the spice from the cloves is relatively subtle. The refreshing element comes from fresh mint that is muddled in, giving it a really clean finish. Since we wanted this drink to be as colorful as possible, we poured blue curacao over the top instead of shaking it in, giving the drink a really gorgeous blue-green seawater look as it is served.

Vanilla rum is an ingredient that can be a little bit difficult to find, but Cruzan makes a nice one if you are able to get your hands on it. If you can’t find it, try using a light colored spiced rum (maybe Bacardi Oakheart) in this cocktail instead. A dark spiced rum is going to muddy the colors and you won’t get the same bright, fruity finish.

Sea Bird
10-12 mint leaves
1/2 oz lime juice
1 oz pineapple juice
1/4 oz spiced simple syrup
3/4 oz Midori
1 oz Cruzan Vanilla Rum (or light-colored spiced rum, like Bacardi Oakheart)
1 oz white rum
1/4 oz blue curacao + 1/4 oz water

Muddle mint in a mixing glass or the bottom of a shaker. Add in lime juice, pineapple juice, spiced syrup, Midori and rums, then fill with ice and shake until cold. Strain into a collins glass filled with crushed ice.
Combine blue curacao and water in a small measuring cup and pour over the top of the drink.
Slap a bunch of mint on the palm of your hand (to release the oils) and garnish the drink.

Serves 1.

*Note: We originally served this drink at a Super Bowl party when the Seattle Seahawks were playing. The drink was a huge hit with the Seahawks fans, since the colors match the team colors well, but not too well-received with the Patriots fans at first. Since the  Patriots won, however, they were happy to raise a toast at the end of the game with one of these!