Ingredients
- 1 cup each sliced oranges, strawberries, and lemons
- Ice
- 750 mL rum
- 750 mL vodka
- 64 ounces pineapple juice
- 64 ounces fruit punch
- 18 ounces cranberry juice
- 18 ounces lemonade
- Orange slice for garnish
Instructions
- In a large pitcher or punch bowl, add sliced fruits and ice, then rum, vodka, pineapple juice, fruit punch, cranberry juice, and lemonade.
- Stir to mix.
- Serve over fresh ice in cocktail glasses.
- Garnish with orange slices.
This recipe makes approximately 26 servings. You can easily half or double this recipe as needed.
Jungle Juice Variations
The limit does not exist when it comes to jungle juice recipes. So, while it may not be possible to cover the hundreds of options, these are some of the more popular.
- Jungle juice plays well with a number of spirits. Use any clear spirit in combination: rum, vodka, tequila, and gin, as well as bourbon. Steer clear of anything overly smoky or peaty, such as mezcal or scotch, as they won't blend quite as well.
- Experiment with different juices. Instead of lemonade, try pink lemonade. Swap the pineapple juice for orange juice. See if you prefer cherry juice to cranberry juice. Get adventurous and try out a white cranberry juice, grape juice, or fruit punch.
- Top off the jungle juice with something fizzy like plain club soda, lemon-lime soda, or a flavored club soda including vanilla, raspberry, or anything fruity.
- Flavored spirits can be a nice touch! Use coconut rum or tequila or a fruit-flavored vodka or tequila. You can find those at the store or infuse your own.
- Make it a bit boozier by adding a cup of orange liqueur, blue curaçao, raspberry liqueur, or another fruit liqueur to the mix.
Garnishes for Your Jungle Juice
With jungle juice, the key is fresh fruit when it comes to a garnish. However, you can always opt for a sprig of fresh herbs or even a citrus peel.
- Pierce several pieces of fruit on cocktail or wooden skewers for colorful garnishes.
- Add extra fresh fruit to the bowl or pitcher, such as a pineapple, limes, or whole cranberries. Add some to the cocktail for a ready-made garnish when serving the jungle juice.
- Garnish each individual serving with a lime or lemon citrus wheel or a citrus ribbon or twist.
- Take your jungle juice into the 21st century with a dehydrated citrus wheel garnish. You can pair this with a dehydrated strawberry, as well.
Jungle Juice Origins
Despite the strong (or foggy) college memories that exist of jungle juice, this large-batch cocktail actually pre-dates Prohibition. History points to two different cities, Fort Collins and Fort Gibson, as the homes of jungle juice. Reporters gifted jungle juice its name thanks to the location of the town in which you would find imbibers and other bootlegging industries. American soldiers turned to jungle juice, in some form, during tours in the early 1940s, swapping recipes with Australians along the way. That recipe called for the drink to be made and consumed in a coconut -- but only after allowing the ingredients to mix in the sun for nearly a month.
To Jungle Juice or Not to Jungle Juice?
It's safe to say that you should most definitely make jungle juice. At the end of the day, you can make this as boozy or light of a group cocktail, aka trash can drink, as you wish. With so many recipes and variations at your disposal, it's quite the forgiving cocktail punch that suits most spirits and mixers. How great is that?
