Ah, the frozen banana daiquiri. There are few drinks that are so simple yet so — how do I put this delicately? — completely f*cked by dumbass bartenders trying to cut corners on the easiest drink ever. Seriously folks, cutting corners on a frozen banana daiquiri actually makes it harder and more expensive. It’s a wild world we live in, where people need to fuck this freebie up.
Both the classic daiquiri — a simple mix of fresh lime juice, sugar, and white rum — and the frozen banana daiquiri — a pulverized smoothie that adds fresh banana to the classic daiquiri — are Cuban icons in the cocktail world. The frozen banana daiquiri blew up in Cuba thanks to American/European tourism in the front half of the 20th century and eventually spread to the rest of the Caribbean after the revolution. Then the 80s rolled around and everything was over-commoditized in the booze industry. What was once a simple mix of fresh banana, fresh lime, sugar, and white rum became a cocktail with banana liqueur, triple sec, banana cream, and other ingredients that, frankly, you don’t need in a daiquiri — ever.
Replacing a 25-cent fresh banana by having to buy both banana liqueur and triple sec (at least a $25 spend) is wild to me. Not to mention that the flavor will never be right if you use those flavor “shortcuts.”
Okay, bartender ranting over. This beautiful drink is too delicious for such negativity. Let’s dive in and make a delicious frozen banana daiquiri because it’s way easier than you probably think.
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Frozen Banana Daiquiri
Ingredients:
- 2 oz. white rum
- 0.5 oz. fresh lime juice
- 0.5 oz. simple syrup
- 1 soft banana (sliced)
- 1 cup of ice
- Cherry
Most decent white rums are going to work here. You can use lightly aged rum (no more than four years) if you want to add a little spice to the mix. The rest is pretty straightforward stuff.
I like to use a banana that’s just starting to take on brown spots. It’s far sweeter and gets creamier in the blender. If you can, go full banana bread ready brown banana but it’s a little too juicy to get that creamier base once blended. It’s sweeter though, so there’s that trade-off.
What You’ll Need:
- Coupe, Collins, or rocks glass
- Blender or handheld immersion mixer
- Jigger
- Pairing knife
- Hand juicer
Method:
- Prechill the glass (crucial to keep the drink’s integrity).
- Add the rum, simple syrup, lime juice, and banana to the blender. Top with ice and blend until fully creamy and mixed with fine ice left.
- Pour the contents into a waiting glass and top with a cherry. Serve.
Bottom Line on the Frozen Banana Daiquiri:
This is so good. It always puts a smile on my face. It’s just so refreshing while feeling healthy — thanks, banana!
The best part is that you still get the lightness of a fresh and vibrant classic daiquiri with every sip. It’s not heavy even though it’s blended and a tad creamy thanks to the banana. It’s still fresh and fun with a deep daiquiri vibe that’s accented by sweet banana depth.
I’m making a lot of these this weekend. It’ll give me a chance to get some potassium into my system. Plus it gives me a chance to watch this clip from The Godfather, Part II — which always makes me laugh.
