The thing is, I’m not really all that fond of bananas. I know, the monkey doesn’t like bananas. Don’t get me wrong, I am ok with them and like the flavor in things, but if I’m just eating banana by itself, it’s probably for effect. Or cramps, could be cramps. I keep trying to find a banana drink I like and I almost always fail. Luckily, I have never been afraid to fail and fail spectacularly. So join me once again, as we stand and make a Banana Daiquiri. 

Ok, it’s a blender drink, so I’m predisposed against it, but we are gonna give it a shot anyway. Grab the blender cup and pop in 1 ounce of Jamaican Rum, I went with the banana funk of Smith + Cross; 1 ounce of light rum, I chose Cane Run 12; 1 ounce of banana liqueur, all I had was that horrid 99 Bananas which clearly does not have even one banana in it. That’s ok because we are going to add an entire banana to the mix. Strip one and do that now. I used one of the old turning brown ones in the drink and a fresh one for the picture, but you do you. To that add 1/2 an ounce of fresh squeezed lime juice, 1/2 an ounce of Demerara simple syrup and two drops of Bittermen’s Elemakule Tiki bitters. Add in 1 1/2 cups of ice and blend well. Don’t over do it, but be sure that the banana is chopped up and that you don’t have any big chunks of ice left. I think the word for this is well-blended. Garnish with a caramelized banana coin, you can do that on the stove or with a torch, just add some sugar and apply heat, carefully, of course. 

So, how is it? It is a blender daiquiri. It’s not that bad but it’s not that good either. I get a vaguely chemical thing off of it which makes me think I’ve ruined yet another drink with 99 Bananas. I’m going to have to invest in a better banana liqueur. That would give me something to do with the afternoon and I could score some ramen. 

So there you go, another attempt, another disappointment. That’s life, I guess. The caramelized banana was awesome though. That’s the thing, I love bananas in food. Banana foster, hell yeah. Banana and peanut butter, yep. Grandma’s banana pudding, absolutely. Still looking for that drink, though. I once had a scotch based banana tiki drink at a speakeasy in Boston that was amazing, but everything always is at Backbar. I haven’t yet found the recipe for that Bananakin Skywalker, but some day. That Bananas Pajamas thing I made a while ago was pretty good, so they are out there. I’ve got a couple of more banana recipes on deck, I still have hope, but this one is a no from me, dog. Stay safe, stay hydrated and stay sane, my friends.