Thirsty Thursdays: The jungle juice book

I know, I know. At orientation they told you not to try the jungle juice at parties. But hey, it’s COVID-19 times, there are no parties. So maybe now is the best time to give the forbidden drink a try. And, while I don’t recommend throwing a frat party of your own — even at the max indoor capacity of 25 — maybe you can have a fun jungle juice night with your roommates. So, how do you make it?

Now there are actually many variations of jungle juice to choose from. If you’re on a budget, there’s a great recipe for a $40 version. Tipsy Bartender’s “The $40 Jungle Juice” only involves a handful of ingredients: three 1.75 liter bottles of the cheapest, 1 gallon of Hawaiian Punch, one 2 liter bottle of lemonade, one 2 liter bottle of pink lemonade, 1 gallon of citrus punch and four oranges. It also only involves two steps: slice the oranges and combine with all the liquid ingredients. And voila! You have a mixed drink big enough to last you a month. 

If you’re beginning to miss autumn, you can try Lucy Ewe’s “Apple Punch Jungle Juice”! This version is a little more involved than its $40 peer, but it honestly sounds a lot tastier. You’ll need to mix together 1.5 gallons of vodka, half a gallon of white rum, 1 quart of tequila, 1 quart of triple sec, 1 quart of apple schnapps, half a gallon of pineapple juice, half a gallon of Hawaiian Punch, half a gallon of lemon-lime soda, 10 cubed apples, 10 sliced oranges and one pound of sliced strawberries. Once everything is combined, let it sit for three to four hours and then serve over ice. This recipe, like all jungle juice recipes, serves an outrageous number of people, so you can be confident you’ll have enough to go around. 

But you know what would take jungle juice to a whole new level? If it was blue! Healthykitchen101’s “Blue Jungle Juice” has a gorgeous finish, a tropical flavor and only makes four servings — perfect for a treat-yourself night! You’ll need 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, 2 fluid ounces of pineapple juice, 12 fluid ounces of club soda, 4 fluid ounces of coconut water, 2 fluid ounces of rum, 3 fluid ounces of blue Curacao, 1 tablespoon of sugar, eight mint leaves, 1 cup of ice cubes and cherries and lemon slices for garnish. All you need to do is combine everything but the garnish, pour into your classiest flute glasses and throw on the garnish. 

Once you’ve made your jungle juice, just keep in mind it can be very strong, so take it slow and drink up!