I try to eat healthy — I really do. I also try to keep my drinks low-cal, with bourbon straight up being my go-to. Hell, if there’s a mixer, chances are it’s fresh squeezed citrus, or (for extra dietary points) fizzy kombucha, as used in the Florida Mule or Guava-Elderflower Bellini.
That all goes out the window this week.
I recently received a giant box of ripe bananas (weird, but true) and was reminded of the time I downed a Dirty Banana, poolside, at the Atlantis resort in the Bahamas. Given my surroundings, I thought it was the best cocktail I’d ever had. It tasted like a banana daiquiri, just different. Better.
There are only certain times you drink banana daiquiris, though. Tropical getaways, obviously, and weekend staycations — by the pool, preferably. There’s basically no in-between, which is good because the calorie count of this vacation-in-a-glass is somewhere in the range between “How many?” and “We’ll just not make this a habit.”
But it’s OK to splurge in moderation. We’ll just have one.
Equipped with my banana haul, I set out to recreate the magical drink that crosses my mind from time to time. Over the years, I’ve attempted several recipes with the same name to no avail; none of them were quite right. After much tinkering, tweaking and tasting this time around, I locked into the flavors that took me back. That’s when you know.
I won’t be able to recreate the over-the-top Atlantis pool or the Caribbean sea breeze, but we live in our own versions of paradise, and I’m good with that. So double the recipe and fix yourself a pitcher (which is what we meant by having “one”), then grab your shades, sunscreen and this edition of CL before heading to the water. You’re on vacation, even if it’s only for today.
Dirty Banana Daiquiri
Makes 1
1 ripe banana
1 scoop vanilla ice cream
2 ounces crème de banana
2 ounces white rum
2 ounces pineapple juice
Chocolate syrup
1.5 ounces coffee liqueur
1 ounces crème de cacao
Whipped cream, for garnish
Cherry, for garnish
In a blender, add banana, ice cream, crème de banana, rum and pineapple juice. Blend until smooth. In a glass, drizzle chocolate syrup on the sides and pour in banana mixture. Float with coffee liqueur and crème de cacao. Top with whipped cream and a cherry if desired.
(For a low-calorie version: substitute cream, or half-and-half, and a dash of vanilla extract for the ice cream.)
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This article appears in May 5-11, 2016.