Orange You Glad I Didn't Say Banana Recipe

Prepare ingredients

If using a fresh banana for purée: peel 1/4 small ripe banana and blitz in a blender with 1 tablespoon pineapple juice until smooth. Strain if desired to remove fibers. If using banana liqueur, no purée needed — proceed to next step.

Add aged rum (2 tbs), rice whiskey (1 tbs), banana liqueur or 1 tbs banana purée, fresh pineapple juice (2 tbs), fresh orange juice (2 tbs), lime juice (1/2 tbs), orgeat (1/2 tbs) and demerara syrup (1/2 tbs) into a shaker.

Add Angostura bitters (2 dashes) to the shaker. Note: bitters help ground the sweet fruit notes and complement the aged rum.

Fill the shaker roughly 3/4 full with ice (about 1 cup crushed or cubed).

Shake vigorously for 10–15 seconds until the outside of the shaker is well chilled and the mixture is slightly frothy (this helps incorporate the banana and juices).

Double-strain the cocktail into a chilled coupe or old-fashioned glass over fresh crushed ice or a single large ice cube, depending on preference. Use a fine-mesh strainer if you used fresh banana purée to remove pulp.

Float an orange wheel on the surface of the drink or clip it to the rim.

Skewer a dehydrated banana chip or a thin banana slice and rest it on the glass rim or lay it across the orange wheel.

Finish with a light dusting of grated nutmeg or a pinch of toasted coconut flakes over the top (about 1/4 tsp) for aroma and texture, if desired.

Serve immediately. The cocktail balances the toasted sweetness of aged rum and rice whiskey with banana and bright citrus from pineapple and orange.