Banana liqueur is more essential than you probably think it is

As my amateur mixology journey continues apace, I started noticing a lot of fancy cocktails associated with bananas. Now, I know what many of you are thinking. "I have bananas in my alcohol when I'm lounging in the Caribbean with a frozen pina colada in hand." Fair enough, that's a great time for banana-themed drinks. However ...

I love eating bananas, but one of my biggest pet peeves has always been when the peels are sitting around. Left in a car, or even just on the counter? Ugh. Disgusting. Oddly enough, an overripe, mushy banana works ok as a drink garnish, since you want it to rest on the rim and an overripe banana may just fall off the side. That said, putting the overripe or mushy or a banana chip in any of these drinks that I'm about to share with you is a-ok! I like to think of mixology as a science, but a bit of an art as well.

Now, you can get the cheap bottles of banana liqueur, like De Kuyper. But if you splurge a little for the Tempus Fugit Creme de Banana Liqueuer (pictured), you may find it so delicious that you'll just want it straight on the rocks.

That said, there's nothing like a great cocktail, and a bottle of banana liqueur, I'm now convinced, is a must-have for any respectable home bar. I have yet to try many of these drinks, but I've done my research and curated them here, and I'm pretty sure all of them have great promise. The two I can absolutely vouch for, that I have made, are: 

Nathalia, which is a bit sweet but, be careful, it's strong:

• 2 parts cognac
• .75 parts yellow chartreuse (see my two yellow chartreuse blogs) 
• .75 parts banana liqueur
• 1 dash of angostura bitters
• Garnish with orange zest

Banana Old Fashioned is just like it sounds - a really tasty classic Old Fashioned with just a hint of banana. Surprisingly classy:

• 2 parts bourbon
• .75 parts banana liqueur
• 6 dashes of Abbott's bitters (Campari is a fine substitute)
• Garnish with a dried banana chip

Now for the ones on my list to still try.

Banana Bliss:

• 1 part cognac
• .5 parts banana liqueur
• .33 parts sherry (dry vermouth is a good substitute for sherry)
• 4 dashes of Abbott's bitters (sub again can be Campari)
• Garnish with a banana chip or slice

Banana Alexander:

• 1.5 parts cognac
• 1 part banana liqueur
• 5 or 6 parts half and half
• Garnish with nutmeg

Banana Boulevardier

• 1 part bourbon
• 1 part sweet vermouth
• .5 parts Campari
• .5 parts banana liqueur
• Garnish with orange and banana

Banana Caipirinha 

• Cut half a lime and drop it to the bottom of a glass under ice
• Muddle a barspoon of sugar and a third a banana
• 2 parts cachaca
• .5 parts banana liqueur

Frozen Banana Daiquiri 

• 2 parts gold rum
• 1 part banana liqueur
• .5 parts lime juice
• 1 banana, with the center cut garnished on the rim of a hurricane glass

Banana Daiquiri Shaken

• 1.67 parts rum
• .75 parts banana liqueur
• .5 parts lime juice
• .33 parts water
• 4 drops of daiquiri bitters (I think this is something I actually need to invest in; as far as I know Bob's Bitters is the only brand)
• Garnish with a banana on the rim

Banana Split

• 1.5 parts cognac
• .75 parts banana liqueur
• 2 dashes of vanilla bitters (all these bitters can start to get pricey, so I'm going to try a teeny bit of vanilla extract as a substitute when I make this one)
• 2 dashes of chocolate bitters
• .75 parts banana tea (I don't know what this is, but I'm intrigued)
• .17 parts half and half (in other words, just a little!)
• Garnish with chocolate powder and banana on rim

Now the next time you're thinking about that frozen pina colada, remember what I've shared with you here. And some bartenders may be able to help you out!