Jungle Bird

Toast Around the World: 

Malay: Selamat (suh-lah-maht) 

English translation: Good Wishes

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Drinking alcohol is forbidden in Islam, which is the official religion of Malaysia. The drinking culture in the country mostly applies to non-Muslims, however, there is still no Malay word that is equivalent to the English ‘cheers’ as toasting is not a part of the popular Malaysian culture. To say cheers in Malay like a local, you can also say ucap selamat, which means “to express good wishes” or “to make a toast” which is commonly used on formal occasions.

The Jungle Bird cocktail was created in Malaysia’s capital, Kuala Lumpur, by Jeffrey Ong when he worked at the Hilton hotel’s Aviary Bar in the 1970s, and was the first Tiki Cocktail to use bitter flavors instead of sweet. It was given as a welcome drink for hotel guests and was named after the tropical birds that were kept in a netted aviary by the pool and could be seen from the bar window. Don’t worry, the birds were released in the 90s, and you can drink to the birds as you enjoy the drink named after them. Cheers!