Name: Bosun Bird
Total time: 4 min
Cuisine: Cocktail
Ingredients: 30 ml Aged Jamaican rum; 15 ml Chartreuse Green; 15 ml Triple sec; 15 ml Maraschino liqueur; 22.5 ml Lime juice

Bosun Bird
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Glass:

Serve in a Coupe glass

Ingredients:
1 fl oz	Jamaican-style aged blended rum with funk
¹⁄₂ fl oz	Green Chartreuse (or alternative herbal liqueur)
¹⁄₂ fl oz	Cointreau L'Unique triple sec liqueur
¹⁄₂ fl oz	Luxardo Maraschino liqueur
³⁄₄ fl oz	Lime juice (freshly squeezed)

Read about cocktail measures and measuring

Prepare:

Select and pre-chill a COUPE GLASS.
Prepare garnish of skewered Luxardo Maraschino Cherry.

How to make:

SHAKE all ingredients with ice.
FINE STRAIN into chilled glass.

Garnish:

Garnish with skewered cherry.

Strength & taste guide:

No alcohol

Medium

Boozy

Sweet

Medium

Dry/sour

More cocktails with similar strength and taste profile

Review:

Select the right rum (see Mr Clapham's recommendation below) and you have what he aptly describes as "a Last Word Jamaica daiquiri."

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History:

Adapted from a recipe created in 2022 by J. E. Clapham of Clapham Cocktails. Mr Clapham recommends this cocktail is made using "a medium-ester rum such as the Berry Bros Jamaica rum from their Classic Range, or Plantation Xaymaca."

Also known as Tropicbirds, Bosun Birds are medium-sized white tropical seabirds found in all the major oceans across three varieties: Red-billed; Red-tailed and White-tailed. They own their Bosun Bird name to the era of the sailing ship when their call was said to resemble the sound of a bosun's whistle.

Bosun is the oldest rank in the Royal Navy, the most senior rate of the deck department and responsible for the components of a ship's hull. As the deck foreman, the boatswain plans the day's work and assigns tasks to the deck crew.

A bosun's whistle is a pipe with a hole opened and closed by the hand of the player to change its pitch. Historically, the high-pitched boatswain's call was used by the bosun to pass commands to the crew when their voice could not be heard over heavy seas. In modern-day use, it's best known for piping aboard an important guest. Part of this ceremony, "manning the side", originates in summoning a party of sailors, known as "side boys", to hoist the visitor aboard using a bosun's chair when the weather was too rough for the use of ladders.

More cocktails by J. E. Clapham of Clapham Cocktails

Nutrition:

One serving of Bosun Bird contains 185 calories

Alcohol content:

1.7 standard drinks
23.42% alc./vol. (46.83° proof)
24.5 grams of pure alcohol

More Aperitivo/aperitif cocktails
More Sours (citrus) cocktails

Difford’s Guide remains free-to-use thanks to the support of the brands in green above. Values stated for alcohol and calorie content, and number of drinks an ingredient makes should be considered approximate.

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Showing 10 of 11 comments for Bosun Bird.
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trendomexico

3rd August at 00:50

Very complex since at arrival it feels like a Last Word, then in the aftertaste is the Rhum in all its splendor. And the sweetness maybe this could be the Tiki version of a last word. Is in a way like the Birds of Darwin, each evoluting in different setting, all the same species, all quite different. I used Kingston 62 Gold Rhum. Maybe I will recall later, but there are some Last Word I was surprised, some not worth the effort, and maybe a few that were quite a revelation. My life is wider, my bar is more stack, and my wallet is thin. It has been quite a discovery to try to make all the Last Words here.

Heidi Della Pesca

3rd August at 01:07

It feels a little like having a conversation with the cocktail, no?

1 reply

Heidi Della Pesca

22nd July at 00:24

This one made me smile. I used Don Papa in place of the traditional Jamaican rum, trading a bit of funk for warmth, and it worked wonderfully. The vanilla and molasses in the rum paired beautifully with the Green Chartreuse, keeping all of its herbal character but making the whole drink feel a little softer and rounder. A genuinely charming cocktail, and one I'll definitely come back to.
(still looking for the Last Word variation that I don't like.)

Bryn Maagaard

11th October 2025 at 17:22

I used a rum ostensibly from Barbados but it's far too sweetened to be worthy of that origin and a herbal liqueur with a more prominent wormwood flavour than chartreuse. The result was quite pleasing all the same. Quick aside Jason recommends Xaymaca from planteray but in the recipe above the only recommended rum is Myer's dark. In fact many cocktails recommend only Myer's but would not any aged pot still jamaican do?

Simon Difford

12th October 2025 at 08:24

Yes, other similar rums would work.

stephen siderow

5th April 2025 at 15:32

Great with a funky rum from Hampden.

Simon Sedgley

2nd August 2024 at 06:35

On a whim, we tried this with Mezcal in place of Dark Rum. Worked a treat for us.

Jose Cruz

22nd May 2024 at 03:29

Funky last word, used a mid-high ester Rum, Doctor bird, excellent mix.

John Hinojos

7th August 2023 at 00:36

This time used Smith and Cross Jamaican Navy Rum at 114 proof. The wonderful falvour of the Jamaican rum is very pronounced. Great cocktail.

G. M. Genovese

19th May 2023 at 13:50

Tried this twice today, first with Hamilton Zombie Blend, then with Rhum J.M Blanc 50%. Both good enough, but definitely preferred the latter. Easily one of the better drinks I've tried with the agricole. (19 May 2023, 9:50a)

John Hinojos

8th May 2023 at 03:53

Excellent and dangerous. Potent, but does drink very easy. Great for an evening sipper or just relaxing. Used Hamilton Pot Stilled Jamaican Black Rum. Has a good amount of the needed Jamaican funk and at 93 proof a little extra kick.

George Ireland

26th February 2023 at 08:40

Tried this using Mezan Jamaica XO. Fantastic! Then again, I'm a big fan of the Last Word, so it was always going to be a winner in my book.

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