Yellow Bird

by ,

                              Y  E  L  L  O  W    B  I  R  D

                                        INTRODUCTION

The Yellow Bird is a tropical cocktail that is synonymous with summer vibes, cruise ships, beach getaways, and Caribbean vacations. A truly enchanting rum cocktail it can be found on cocktail menus across the globe. However, its origin remains an enigma. Is the cocktail a victim of a stolen legacy? Did Exotica music influence its creation?  Did a liqueur brand create the cocktail? The world may never know where the Yellow Bird truly came from but if one cocktail could speak of its heritage, or sing in this case, it would likely tell quite a remarkable story.

                             MATERIALS & METHODS

                                              IBA Official cocktail (1)

Ingredients:

  • Light Rum – 1 oz. (30 mL)
  • Galliano – 0.5 oz (15 mL)
  • Triple Sec – 0.5 oz (15 mL)
  • Fresh Lime Juice – 0.5 oz (15 mL)
  • Garnish – Lime Wheel or Lime Peel

Directions:

  1. Add all ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice.
  2. Shake all ingredients vigorously.
  3. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. 
  4. Garnish with lime wheel or lime peel.

                                    DISCUSSION

Origin

Written record dictates that the name “Yellow Bird” was first used as a term for a cocktail in 1954 at The Half Moon, a resort in Rose Hall, Jamaica. The original recipe called for rum, crème de bananas, coffee liqueur and orange juice (2). The recipe reads as a delicious concoction of ingredients but lacks a bright yellow tint using modern standards. However, the claim that the cocktail originated in Jamaica remains strong even to today. 

With that said, the title “Yellow Bird” has an ardent link to Haitian culture, due to the release of a lyrical poem by Oswald Durand called Choucoune in 1883. The lyrical poem is a fervent dedication of love by a man to a Haitian woman he is in love with and was put to music in 1893 becoming a popular slow meringue in Haiti (3). Fast forward to 1957, Choucoune was rewritten in English and titled “Yellow Bird” and recorded by many artists. The words “Yellow Bird” likely originated from the Haitian words “ti Zwazo” (little bird) mentioned in the original poem. The most successful incarnation came in the summer of 1961 when the Arthur Lyman Group created an exotica version of the song and could be heard on repeat at the Shell Bar in The Hawaii Village (4). In honor of the song, a Yellow Bird cocktail using Galliano was said to have been served.

As the exotica adaptation of Yellow Bird grew in popularity in Hawaii and the Yellow Bird cocktail continued to be served on cocktail menus at The Half Moon resort in Jamaica, Galliano took out a multi-page advertisement on June 25th, 1972 in The Palm Beach Post further distancing the cocktail’s legacy roots to Haiti (5). As part of this advertisement Galliano highlighted a cocktail yellow in color called the Yellow Bird which called for Galliano, white rum, Triple Sec, and lime juice. The cocktail was an immediate hit and this recipe has become the popular and iconic recipe thanks in a large part to the Galliano marketing team.

Flavor Profile

Rum

The addition of a light rum (white rum) to the Yellow Bird cocktail was strategic by Galliano to allow for the liqueur in the cocktail, which is bright yellow, to shine. The use of a light rum also allows the other ingredients in the cocktail to exhibit the aromatic properties contributing to a wonderful flavor profile. For the most part, the use of light rum in the drink’s construction is only contributing to the high ABV (Alcohol By Volume) of the cocktail because light rums generally are low congener and lack the complexity of esters which are typically found in heavier, less rectified rums. 

Additional Ingredients

Galliano

Galliano was created by an Italian distiller and its trademark tall bottle towers over most other spirit bottles on a cocktail bar shelf. Owned now by a Dutch distiller, Lucas Bols, Galliano remains a sweet liqueur produced at 60 proof (30% ABV) and possesses a vanilla-anise flavor with subtle citrus and woodsy herbal notes (6).  The spirit is bright in yellow color because Galliano possesses Tartrazine which is a synthetic lemon tinted yellow dye primarily used as a food coloring.

Triple Sec

In modern bartending vocabulary, Triple Sec is a term used to reference any orange liqueur between 20% ABV and 40% ABV. While both Combier and Cointreau claim to be the world’s first triple sec producer, the liqueur hails from France and continues to be a popular cocktail additive.

Fresh Lime Juice

Much like it enhances other classic cocktails, fresh lime juice is a major source of flavor and aroma for the Yellow Bird cocktail. Lime juice is a citric juice with a very low pH of 2.8. The presence of such a strong acid in the cocktail is a key indicator of sourness.

                                     NUTRITION

The Yellow Bird cocktail is a relatively healthy cocktail compared to many other iconic rum cocktails and has less sugar and total carbohydrates as such. Almost a Daiquiri with a splash of Galliano and Triple Sec, the cocktail is deceptive from an alcohol standpoint. The flavor of the cocktail combined with the bright yellow charm of the cocktail masks the high ABV and presence that this cocktail has a high alcohol by volume content.

                                NUTRITION FACTS

                           (Amount Per 1 Fl oz in a 2.5 Fl oz Cocktail)

Calories:                        62.8    

Total Fat:                         0 g    

Cholesterol:                    0 mg    

Sodium:                         0.4 mg    

Total Carbohydrates:     4.32 g

Dietary Fiber:                0.02 g

Sugar:                           2.74 g

                                     CONCLUSION

If the world had a cocktail that could be considered a cultural melting pot it would be the Yellow Bird cocktail. The drink has roots in Haiti, was commercialized in Jamaica and Hawaii, and was popularized in the mid-20th century to iconic rum cocktail status in South Florida by Galliano. With a bright and fun appearance, the Caribbean inspired cocktail was built for the beach and for those that love to enjoy relaxation and the beach.

                                     REFERENCES

  1. International Bartenders Association. (2020). Yellow Bird. Retrieved from: https://iba-world.com/new-era-drinks/yellow-bird/ 
  2. Chilled Magazine. (2014). THROWBACK COCKTAIL: 1954’S YELLOW BIRD ON HALF MOON’S 2014 MENU. Retrieved from: https://chilledmagazine.com/drinks-detail/throwback-cocktail-1954s-yellow-bird-on-half-moons-2014-menu 
  3. Wikipedia. (2020). Choucoune. Retrieved from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choucoune_(song) 
  4. Diffordsguide. (2020). Yellow Bird. Retrieved from: https://www.diffordsguide.com/cocktails/recipe/2113/yellow-bird 
  5. Galliano. (1972). Yellow Bird. The Palm Beach Post: Jun 25, 1972
  6. Wikipedia. (2020). Galliano (liqueur). Retrieved from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galliano_(liqueur)