Put a tropical twist on your favorite summertime drink with this fruity banana daiquiri recipe. Whether you like yours blended, on the rocks, or virgin, this cocktail gives you an excuse to break out the blender and let it rip. One sip of this dessert-style cocktail and you'll go as bananas over it as we do.
How to Make a Banana Daiquiri
Don't let another banana bunch go bad; instead of tossing out those black-spotted overripe bananas, whip up a banana daiquiri. Since daiquiris are essentially rum sours, they follow a basic sour recipe with equal parts sweet and sour — in daiquiris, it's lime juice and simple syrup or sugar— and two parts hard liquor (in this case, rum). This makes them one of the easiest summer cocktail recipes to follow.
Ingredients
- 1 banana, peeled and sliced
- ¾ ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
- ¾ ounce simple syrup
- 1½ ounces white rum
- 1 cup crushed ice
- Banana slice for garnish
Instructions
- In a blender, combine the banana, lime juice, simple syrup, rum, and ice.
- Blend until smooth.
- Pour into a cocktail glass and garnish with the banana slice.
To turn your daiquiri into a dessert cocktail, add chocolate syrup swirls on the inside of the glass. Top it off with whipped cream and a few extra drizzles of chocolate syrup. Add a maraschino cherry or crushed nuts for extra crunch.
10 Variations and Substitutions to Try
Once you've mastered the basic daiquiri recipe, you're ready to graduate and experiment with new flavors and ingredients.
- Use orange-flavored liqueur, such as Grand Marnier, triple sec, Cointreau, or curaçao instead of simple syrup.
- Use coffee-flavored liqueur, such as Kahlúa instead of simple syrup.
- Add maraschino cherry liqueur in place of simple syrup.
- Swap simple syrup out for Chambord or another raspberry-flavored liqueur.
- Use Frangelico hazelnut-flavored liqueur in place of simple syrup.
- Add some amaretto instead of simple syrup.
- Substitute simple syrup for crème de cacao.
- Try Midori or another melon liqueur instead of simple syrup.
- Swap rum for tequila to make a banana margarita
- Layer in strawberry daiquiri or mango daiquiri for a tropical blend
Experiment With These Garnish Ideas
The banana daiquiri lends itself well to traditional daiquiri garnishes. But if there's one rule in cocktail making it's that there aren't any rules. So, bring out your banana daiquiri's inner beauty with the garnishes that catch your eye.
- Banana slice
- Orange slice
- Orange twist
- Lemon twist
- Lemon wedge
- Pineapple wedge
- Grated nutmeg
- Cinnamon stick
- Cocktail umbrella
- Maraschino cherry
Discover Your New Favorite Summertime Sipper
Whether it's a simple banana daiquiri, a frozen daiquiri, or one with exotic flavors from fruits and rums, daiquiris are a perennial favorite. So the next time you crave that summer sunshine, grab some bananas and whip up this creamy banana daiquiri recipe.
