Ingredients
- 1½ ounces light rum
- ¾ ounce banana liqueur
- 3 ounces pineapple juice
- 1 ounce cream of coconut
- 1 banana, peeled
- 1 cup ice
- Orange wedge for garnish
Instructions
- In a blender, add ice, light rum, banana liqueur, pineapple juice, cream of coconut, and banana.
- Blend until smooth or desired consistency.
- Pour into highball or hurricane glass.
- Garnish with orange wedge.
Banana Colada Variations
There are a few ways to blend up or even shake up a banana colada.
- Skip the blending! Add all of the ingredients to a cocktail shaker, using an extra half ounce of banana liqueur and an ounce less pineapple juice. Shake the ingredients together to chill them well, and then strain to serve over fresh ice in a cocktail glass.
- If you're looking for a bolder banana flavor, add another peeled banana to the mix.
- Use equal parts pineapple juice and orange juice.
- Add a dash of cinnamon bitters or a splash of cinnamon liqueur for a spiced banana colada.
Garnishes for the Banana Colada
Keep the garnish simple to allow the drink to shine or go extravagant to make the drink a complete experience from first sight.
- Pierce a banana slice, peeled or unpeeled, on a cocktail skewer.
- Alternate dehydrated banana with fresh banana slices.
- Garnish with a pineapple leaf, on its own or with another garnish.
- Sprinkle grated coconut over top of the drink.
- Use a maraschino or cocktail cherry to add a pop of color.
The Banana Colada Family Tree
To understand the banana colada, it's essential to know its parent cocktail: the piña colada. In the mid-1950s in Puerto Rico, a hotel bartender crafted up that delectable cocktail of rum, coconut, and pineapple with a whisper of citrus. Then, the cocktail was shaken and very unblended until the 1970s, when frozen drinks became all the rage. Today, the original recipe is once again the standard.
The banana colada followed; how soon, though, remains a mystery. However, what is no great mystery is that rum and banana make for a beautiful match.
Go Bananas
Shake the banana tree to find a fun new riff on the piña colada. It's such an obvious match made in heaven that it seems foolish it isn't more popular around the globe.
