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The Yellow Bird cocktail is a must-try! You’ll love the bright color and balanced flavor of this drink, with notes of vanilla and licorice.
Here’s a tasty sweet and sour cocktail that’s uniquely delicious: the Yellow Bird Cocktail! This bright yellow drink is a sour cocktail with a little extra bling — a nuanced finish with notes of vanilla and licorice.
The sophistication comes from Galliano, a bright yellow Italian liqueur worth grabbing for this recipe. I was extraordinarily impressed with this one and other cocktails I’ve tried using this fancy liqueur. Here’s how to make the Yellow Bird drink!
What’s in this cocktail?
The Yellow Bird is a cocktail made with rum, Galliano liqueur, triple sec, and lime juice. There’s very little known about its history, but some think it was named after a Haitian song called The Yellow Bird. Others believe it was named for the bright yellow Galliano liqueur.
It’s hard to know when it was invented. My guess is that it was invented sometime in the 1960s or 70s, when Galliano rose to popularity in the U.S. The Yellow Bird reminds me of the Golden Dream and Golden Cadillac — Galliano cocktails born in the 1950s and 60s.
There are a few different ways to make a Yellow Bird cocktail. Some call it a beach drink, others a tiki drink — often adding pineapple and orange juice. But for my rendition, I’ve stuck with the official recipe listed by the International Bartender Association (IBA). According to the IBA, here’s how to make a true Yellow Bird: shake the following ingredients with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.
- Galliano liqueur
- Orange liqueur: Triple Sec or Cointreau
- White rum
- Lime juice
More about Galliano
Galliano is what makes the Yellow Bird such an interesting drink. You’ve likely never tasted anything like it! This herbal vanilla liqueur has so much nuance and complexity, you’ll be hooked from the first sip. Here’s a little more about this unique liqueur:
- Galliano L’Autentico is a bright yellow, sweet herbal Italian liqueur made with a blend of 30 herbs. It’s been produced in Tuscany, Italy, since 1896.
- What does Galliano taste like? It’s sweet and complex, with a strong vanilla flavor and notes of anise, juniper, cinnamon, and citrus.
- How much does Galliano cost? It’s mid-priced compared to other liqueurs: about $17 to $20 for a 375 ml bottle and about $30 to $35 for a 750 ml bottle.
- Is it worth buying? Yes! It tastes like pure gold. You can drink it as a digestif (a shot after a meal), or mix it into cocktails like the Harvey Wallbanger, Golden Dream, and Golden Cadillac.
Orange liqueur: use Triple Sec or Cointreau
What is the other ingredient that makes the Yellow Bird so tasty? The orange liqueur. There are many different orange liqueurs, but Triple Sec or Cointreau are great choices. Which to choose? Here’s more:
- Triple Sec has a more straightforward, orange flavor, similar to orange-infused vodka. While I typically reach for Cointreau in my cocktail recipes that call for orange liqueur, the Yellow Bird is an exception. Since Triple Sec is part of the IBA’s official definition, I’ve used it here, and it works perfectly for this drink!
- Cointreau has an even richer, more nuanced flavor. Cointreau has a robust, rich flavor and an orange perfume essence, making it taste more sophisticated than Triple Sec. It’s my top choice for classics like the Margarita, Sidecar, and Cosmo, and it absolutely works here too.
How to serve a Yellow Bird cocktail
Yellow Bird recipes have a lot of variation: some people treat it more as a beach drink, or go full-on Tiki-style with several types of rum. But the classic IBA definition simply serves it up in a cocktail glass, as you’d drink a martini. You can choose whatever method suits the occasion:
- Straight up in a cocktail glass. Shake it up and strain it into a cocktail glass or martini glass.
- On the rocks in a highball glass. Strain it into a highball glass and serve with ice.
When to serve this drink
The Yellow Bird is a tasty sour cocktail that’s great for happy hour or a signature cocktail, or even just a simple drink idea to use up your Galliano liqueur. Try it as a:
- Happy hour drink
- Girls or guys night drink
- Cocktail hour drink
- Signature drink
Yellow Bird Cocktail
The Yellow Bird cocktail is a must-try! You’ll love the bright color and balanced flavor of this drink, with its notes of vanilla and licorice.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 drink 1x
- Category: Drink
- Method: Shaken
- Cuisine: Cocktails
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 2 ounces* white rum
- 1 ounce Galliano liqueur
- 1 ounce triple sec (or Cointreau)
- 1 ounce fresh lime juice
- For the garnish: Lime slice and cocktail cherry
Instructions
- Place the rum, Galliano, triple sec, and lime juice in a cocktail shaker. Add 2 handfuls of ice and shake until cold.
- Strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lime strip and cocktail cherry if desired.
Notes
*For conversion to tablespoons, 2 ounces = ¼ cup.
We drank yellow birds in 1960’s in the Bahamas but were a pool drink made with pineapple & orange juice. So tropical. What was the recipe?
I’m not sure, sorry!
The use of Galliano interested me so I had to make this to test out, and I would give this 10 stars if I could. Excellent cocktail! The Galliano creates an excellent flavor, I will enjoy this often. Thank you for a great recipe.
Gotta say I was skeptical when I read the recipe (having tasted all the components unmixed before). Perhaps I was biased going into it, but the Galliano really doesn’t combine well with the other ingredients. Also, the given ratios are incredibly high… If I had made this with 2oz rum, 1oz Galliano, and 1 oz of my orange liqueur at 40% abv… I’d be on the floor in minutes.
Given they’re calling this a Yellow Bird, I think a great improvement to this recipe would be to substitute Yellow Chartreuse for the Galliano, and cut the measurements to 1.5 oz of rum, and 3/4 oz of everything else.
An interesting idea, but the anise flavor of the Galliano really doesn’t pair well with the other ingredients in my opinion.
In my exploration of the cocktails that are out there, this is my new favorite cocktail. If you’re a fan of sours, this is fantastic.
I was interested n the liquor Galliano and loved your honesty about not being alive in the 1970s. I was and can attest that lots happened! I found this vintage bottle in elk River Mn. It’s missing a few details and one on a search for what. And found you!
I’m not sure why you think adding pineapple and orange juice would make this a tiki drink. I would argue that it is close to a tiki drink without it. Look at the classic mai tai.
I added a splash of orange juice to this to brighten up the flavor and color. Good recipe.