Brass Monkey
How to Make the Brass Monkey Drink, the famous premixed cocktail from made famous by the Beastie Boys in the 80’s. This 3-ingredient cocktail is made with dark rum, vodka and orange juice and it’s so tasty!
Brass Monkey! Sing it with me… “That Funky Monkey!” There has to be a few of you that are Beastie Boys fans in need of a simple drink to try this weekend. I totally listened to Licensed to Ill on repeat on my Walkman in junior high and still crank up the radio anytime I hear the Beastie Boys song.
Easy vodka cocktails are my favorite and this one is simple enough for guests to mix up by the glass. It’s definitely a signature drink for 70’s and 80’s themed parties.
Ingredients for Brass Monkey Drink Recipe
- Dark Rum – Use your favorite dark rum, we are huge fans of Captain Morgan Black Spiced Rum for the caramel flavors. Light rum or white rum will not add the same depth of flavor as the dark rum.
- Orange Juice – Freshly squeezed or your favorite store brand
- Vodka– Use your favorite, we generally use Smirnoff for our vodka drinks.
- Garnish – Orange Slice or orange wedge and fresh mint
How to Make a Brass Monkey Drink
- Fill a glass 3/4 full with crushed ice.
- Add orange juice, vodka and rum. I like Black Spiced Rum but light rum is great also. Use whichever you prefer.
- Give it a stir and garnish with a slice of orange and a sprig of mint.
The Brass Monkey has two variations, one is orange juice mixed with malt liquor served in the bottle and the Screwdriver mixed with rum.
The Brass Monkey drink was sold as part of a line of pre-mixed cocktails in the 1970’s and 80’s by the Hublein Company that included trendy drinks like daiquiris and sidecars. It’s no longer available but you can mix up this simple cocktail for any occasion.
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Tools for the Home Bartender
- Find these super cute Can Shaped Mugs from Amazon. They are great for serving up everything from iced tea to your favorite party drinks.
- A Cocktail Shaker is a must have for those ice cold mixed drinks.
- Cocktail Jigger is perfect for getting the perfect measurements for all of your favorite cocktails.
- Microplane Twist & Zest is my favorite for juicing and zesting citrus for my favorite cocktails.
- Bamboo Picks and Drink Umbrellas are great for garnishing your favorite drinks.
- Countertop Ice Maker – Dream ice maker right here, makes the nugget ice, just like Sonic!
If you have a home bar, you are likely to have all of these ingredients already and if you haven’t tried one yet, add it to your weekend plans.
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I always say delicious cocktails don’t have to be complicated and the Brass Monkey drink is just the ticket when you want something simple.
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Brass Monkey
Ingredients
- 8 ounces orange juice
- 1 ounce vodka
- 1 ounce Black Spiced Rum or Light Rum
- Ice
- fresh orange slice and fresh mint for garnish optional
Instructions
- Add crushed ice to a fill a glass 3/4 full.
- Pour in orange juice and top with vodka and rum.
- Give it a quick stir and garnish if desired.