Banana Rum

 

It stands to reason that banana and rum go together--they taste an awful lot alike in some forms. This cocktail is designed to play that up. Of course there are any number of banana flavored rums available, that's not what we are going for here. It's nice to have something more natural in the glass when you can get it. If you have creme de banane, use it here. I have banana whiskey.

This Murlarkey flavored whiskey comes from soaking natural dried bananas. It pairs well with Plantation 3-Stars, which has its own whiff of banana peel. The drink needs decoration, however. If you have banana leaves or pineapple fronds, feel free to show them off.

• 1/2 oz. light rum (Plantation 3-Stars used)
• 1/2 oz. creme de banane (MurLarkey banana whiskey used)
• 1/2 oz. orange juice

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. 

Bandana

This cocktail's name comes across like a Freudian slip or a spoonerism--and that might be its origin. I can just see someone asking a bandana-clad bartender to make them one of those bandana cocktails. The flavor, though, is banana, and it comes from MurLarkey banana whiskey. Normally we associate banana drinks with rum, but when you try this, you'll see how good banana and whiskey can be.

Typically fake banana flavors can be added to a cocktail with banana flavored rums or cheap creme de banane. MurLarkey Banana whiskey is made from their corn whiskey infused with dried bananas. It is dry, not like banana candy. You can sweeten it for a cocktail or drink it neat and it tastes like an aged rum agricole.

• 1 1/2 oz. blended whiskey (Proper Twelve used)
• 3/4 oz. banana liqueur (MurLarkey banana whiskey used)
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. orange juice

 Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Banana Milkshake

What a fun little cocktail! I love it! At first glance, this milkshake drink seems like a dessert pudding of a cocktail. Maybe it is, but the addition of nutmeg and banana flavor comes across as tropical. This smacks of beach resorts and summer milkshakes sipped on yachts more than a nightcap or winter eggnog.

The big tip-off is the use of rum in the recipe. It connects it to the Caribbean sea and white rum makers that use tropical spices in their spiced rum recipes. And then there are bananas, of course.

For this one, I happened to have a banana rum by Cruzan which I substituted for the white rum because why not. It tastes a little artificial and has a good amount of sugar in it, so actually it is a good stand in for creme de bananes as well. I decided to go extra bananas with MurLarkey Distillery's banana whiskey as well. This is all natural and doesn't have sugar added so it balanced things well. The result was a rich and strong banana flavor that was more than just candy in a glass.

• 2 oz. light rum (1 1/2 oz. Cruzan banana rum used)
• 1 oz. creme de bananes (1 1/2 oz. MurLarkey banana whiskey)
• 2 oz. half-and-half
• dash grenadine
• ground nutmeg
• banana slice

Combine grenadine, half-and-half and spirits in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with the banana slice and dust with nutmeg. 

Anna's Bannana

This is a very approachable tropical cocktail that tastes a lot like a frozen Banana Daiquiri. It is a simple blender smoothie with vodka as its power and lime juice and banana as its base. There's no artificial flavor used here, which is nice, and the drink is pretty tart. Honey adds richness, though and is another natural ingredient. No fake bananas!

• 2 oz. vodka (MurLarkey Divine Clarity used)
• 1 oz. lime juice
• 1/2 small banana slice
• 1 tsp. honey or almond syrup
• slice of lime

Add all ingredients except the lime slice in a blender with cracked ice. Blend until smooth and pour into a chilled wine glass. Garnish with the lime slice.

Banana Daiquiri

If by Banana Daiquiri, you mean a banana smoothie with a bit of lime and rum, than this is the drink you asked for. First, I don't hold that all Daiquiris must be frozen. Second, If it is a Daiquiri it should be tart. What the hell is this creamy banana thing?

Laying all that aside, this is a pretty good drink. It is truly 90s vintage or related to resort beach drinks of the 80s where the word Daiquiri meant frozen tropical drink, not a tart juicy rum sipper. You can make this cocktail in a balloon wine glass if you like. I wanted it in a Hurricane glass because it belongs on a cruise ship.

• 2 oz. light rum
• 1/2 oz. lime juice
• 1/2 oz. triple sec
• 1/2 oz. half-and-half
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1/4 sliced banana
• lime slice

Combine all ingredients except lime slice in a blender with ice. Blend until smooth and pour into a balloon wine glass. Garnish with lime slice. 

Papaya Smoothie (Non-Alcoholic)

Let's face it. Papaya is pretty nasty if it's not perfectly ripened. Get it too green and it smells like vomit. When too ripe, it smells like crap. Making a smoothie with papaya, if you must do this, is the best way to control the potential or actual unpleasantness of a papaya.

• 1/2 a papaya cubed
• 1 banana sliced
• 1/2 oz. honey
• 6 oz. orange juice
• 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.