The Banana Daiquiri recipe
from the blender
Place the hurricane glass in the freezer for fifteen minutes.
Peel the banana, break half into pieces and add it to the blender with the rum, lime juice and sugar syrup.
Blend for ten seconds without ice, until the banana is completely smooth and no pieces remain.
Add the crushed ice and blend for another 15 to 20 seconds, until the mixture is thick and smooth.
Pour into the chilled glass, place a banana slice on the rim and serve with a straw.
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The story
Mountain Top, a scenic viewpoint with a bar high on St. Peter Mountain on the island of St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, calls itself the birthplace of the Banana Daiquiri. According to the story, a British sea captain, George Soule, mixed it there in 1953 with rum from the islands, ripe bananas, fresh lime juice, cane sugar and homemade banana liqueur. There is no hard evidence for that date, but the bar has been serving the drink to cruise guests for generations. That it emerged in precisely those years makes sense: the electric blender had just become popular in bars and kitchens, and without a blender, a banana can barely be processed into a smooth drink. The foundation remained the Cuban Daiquiri of rum, lime and sugar.
The right glass
A Banana Daiquiri made in a blender is larger and thicker than a shaken cocktail: expect 25 to 28 cl. A 44 cl hurricane glass gives it room to accommodate that volume, with space for a slice of banana and a straw without overflowing. The rounded shape on a short stem keeps your hand away from the ice, and the height shows off the creamy, pale yellow color. Put the glass in the freezer beforehand: that gives you a few extra minutes before the drink starts to separate. Take a look at our hurricane glasses.
Royal Leerdam Hurricane Cocktail Glass on Stem 44 cl (6 pieces)
Arcoroc Hurricane Cocktail Glass 44 cl (6 pieces)
Both sets together € 95,90.
The right tools
For a Banana Daiquiri, besides the glass, you use a jigger to measure precisely, a citrus juicer and glass straws. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
With crushed ice, you drink through a straw
Glassware set (our choice 01) + 3 bar tools together € 124,80.
What do you make a Banana Daiquiri with?
For a Banana Daiquiri, you need rum. Well-known bottles include Bacardi, Havana Club and Planas. On every drink page, you can read the alcohol percentage, what it tastes like, which cocktails it pairs with and which glassware you need.
Variations & twists
The original from Mountain Top also uses banana liqueur. If you want that, add 1.5 cl crème de banane and leave out the sugar syrup. With an aged, dark rum, you get a fuller drink with notes of caramel. A splash of coconut milk takes it in the direction of Piña Colada. If you blend it with frozen banana instead of some of the ice, it becomes even thicker and less watery. Prefer a different fruit? Try the Mango Daiquiri or the Strawberry Daiquiri.
Serving tip
Slice ripe bananas and put them in the freezer as soon as they develop brown spots. Frozen banana replaces some of the ice, giving you a thicker Banana Daiquiri that melts more slowly. Serve it immediately, because after a few minutes the ice separates from the banana.
Good to know
How ripe should the banana be
Choose a banana that is completely yellow with brown speckles. Most of the starch will then have converted into sugar, and it will smell distinctly of banana. A banana with green tips tastes floury and slightly astringent, and that flavor comes through extra strongly in the cocktail. If it is already almost completely brown, it will be sweeter and softer: perfect for this drink, but leave out the sugar syrup. Half a banana weighs about 60 grams without the peel. More makes the drink heavy and thick; less and the banana gets lost behind the lime.
Why blend instead of shake
A banana does not produce juice. If you shake it, you get lumps that remain in the strainer, and a watery drink with little banana flavor in the glass. In a blender, the flesh is fully incorporated and provides the creamy body that gives this cocktail its character. So blend in two stages: first blend the banana with the liquid for ten seconds without ice, then add the crushed ice. This ensures there are no banana pieces left when the ice goes in, and the blender only needs to run briefly afterward. Blending for longer makes the drink watery.
Banana liqueur: yes or no
Mountain Top's story mentions homemade banana liqueur, and many bars still use crème de banane. That liqueur provides a deeper, almost baked-banana aroma that a fresh banana alone cannot achieve, especially when the fruit is not fully ripe yet. The downside: most banana liqueurs are very sweet. Therefore, use no more than 1.5 cl and leave out the sugar syrup entirely. Taste before adding the ice. Without liqueur, the drink is fresher and all about the fruit; with liqueur, it becomes fuller and more of a dessert.
Banana Daiquiri or Frozen Daiquiri
Both come from the blender, but they work differently. The Frozen Daiquiri gets its texture from ice: rum, lime, and sugar are blended with plenty of crushed ice into wet snow, and the drink stays light and sharp. In the Banana Daiquiri, the banana does most of the work. The fruit makes the drink thick and creamy, so the flavor is less diluted and stays balanced longer. That is also why it goes in a larger glass. Those who enjoy the classic Daiquiri will still taste the same base of 4.5 cl rum and 2.5 cl lime juice in both.
Banana Daiquiri for a group
Make a Banana Daiquiri two glasses at a time; a full blender runs too long and produces an uneven texture. Prepare per batch: 9 cl white rum, 5 cl lime juice, 2 cl sugar syrup, one whole ripe banana, and 300 grams of crushed ice. Peel the bananas just before blending, because cut banana turns brown within fifteen minutes. A few drops of lime juice over the pieces slow this down. You can mix the rum, lime, and syrup in a bottle up to an hour in advance and chill it. Then, for each batch, you only need to add the banana and ice.
Alcohol-free Banana Daiquiri
Leave out the rum and replace it with 4 cl pineapple juice. This provides the acidity and tropical depth you would otherwise get from the rum, without overpowering the banana. Keep the lime at 2.5 cl and the syrup at 1 cl, and blend in the same two steps. For children, you can reduce the lime to 1.5 cl. The result resembles a smoothie, but the lime and crushed ice keep it fresh and light. Serve it in the same glass with a straw, and it will look exactly like the original.
Frequently asked questions
What goes into a Banana Daiquiri?
A Banana Daiquiri contains 4.5 cl white rum, 2.5 cl fresh lime juice, 1 cl sugar syrup, half a ripe banana, and 150 grams of crushed ice. First blend the banana with the liquids until smooth, then add the ice. Some recipes add 1.5 cl banana liqueur; if so, omit the syrup.
Can you shake a Banana Daiquiri?
You can, but it won't make a good drink. A banana doesn't produce juice, so lumps remain in the shaker that you have to strain out, and that removes the flavor. The blender incorporates all the fruit flesh and provides the creamy body this cocktail is all about.
Can you use a frozen banana?
Yes, and it will become thicker. Use 60 grams of frozen banana slices and halve the crushed ice to about 75 grams. The frozen banana chills the drink as well, so it dilutes less and stays thick longer. Blend a little longer, until there are no hard pieces of banana left.
Which glass do you use for a Banana Daiquiri?
A hurricane glass of around 44 cl, chilled in the freezer beforehand. The drink from the blender takes up 25 to 28 cl, so you want room for a straw and a garnish. A large margarita glass also works; see our margarita glasses.
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