Inspired by the new release of Ed Hamilton’s Beachbum Berry Zombie Rum blend, I decided to pull out all the old Tiki ingredients from my garage last night. I spent a few years in distribution between K&L and Mission, so I have boxes upon boxes upon boxes of liqueur samples and various esoteric elixirs.

I went through the recipes listed on the official page here, but I can’t say mine were a huge success (probably due to both the age of my bottles and the lack of freshness with my grenadine). That being said, there was one very, very easy recipe that came out spectacularly, so I figured I’d share it with you: the Banana Daiquiri.

You can do this two ways, depending on how much banana you like.

There’s a whole slew of articles about how the Giffard Banane Liqueur is the secret ingredient for a number of serious bartenders, namely because it works to highlight the inherent flavors of base spirits, rather than simply impart its banana flavor.

Case in point? As the sweetening component of a classic Daiquiri made with the Beachbum Zombie blend:

• 2 oz. Hamilton Berry Beachbum Zombie rum

• 1 oz. Giffard Banane Liqueur

• 3/4 oz. fresh lime juice

Shake with ice and double strain into a coupe glass.

When I told my wife I had made her a Banana Daiquiri, she came running into the kitchen. I handed her the drink and she took a sip. “This doesn’t really taste like banana,” she quickly responded; “But it does taste tropical.”

Exactly. The Giffard Banane simply brings out the fruity, tropical notes in the rum, while providing the necessary sweetness to balance the lime’s citrus.

That being said, she really wanted a banana-flavored cocktail at that point, so I broke out the blender.

Same recipe as above, but add half a banana and some crushed ice. I made enough for both of us, so I doubled the recipe and added a whole banana.

“Now THAT is a Banana Daiquiri!” she exclaimed with glee.

And a damned good one, too.

-David Driscoll