in modern cocktail circle, the bartender asked for a specific fruit and ate a banana.It injected a playful tropicalness into the boulevard (or banana birdia), daiquiri And even more martini Or two.However, historically, many of these cocktails banana liqueur or fresh banana, there is a part of the fruit that has long been overlooked, and that is the skin. Today, thanks to the growing interest in low-waste cocktails, this ingredient is finally coming into the spotlight.
When compared to the flavor of fruit, which can range from lightly sweet and starchy to honey-like and tropical, depending on ripeness, the rind has an “earthy taste,” according to Brandon Ristaino, co-founder and beverage director at Good. It’s dark, complex, slightly bitter and green in color. Lion Hospitality in Santa Barbara, California.
Strange Beast, one of Ristaino’s bars, features banana peels in a decadent setting old-fashioned house. Japanese whiskey forms the base of the drink, which adds a tropical edge thanks to pandan leaf-infused rum, macadamia nut liqueur, banana peel and pandan syrup. The latter is made by blending whole banana peels with sugar, water, salt, pandan leaves, and orange peel to yield a complex sweetener.
Speak In Code and Project Halcyon, bars across the pond in Manchester, England, are reimagining the classic June Bug with banana peels. TGI Fridays. Instead of typical recipes that call for midori, pineapple juice, coconut rum, banana liqueur, and other unbalanced ingredients, Speak in Code founder Nathan Larkin draws inspiration from these flavors. , enhanced them for a more sophisticated serve. Larkin’s uses homemade soda made from fermented pineapple, melon, and banana. He infused leftover banana and pineapple peels into his coconut rum using sous vide techniques, and combined his two parts to create an elegant, fruit-forward highball.
The bar, located near Project Halcyon, explored ways to use the rind, a byproduct of its house martinis, to use the entire ingredient and avoid waste. The peel is characterized by clarified banana juice. General Manager Adam Montanaro-Taylor said the bar has tried a number of banana peel garnishes. “Bacon” made from seasoned and dried skins (inspired by a technique used in Speak in Code) and pickled banana coins. The last thing I focused on was Oreo, a banana peel that is easy to make.
To make banana oleosaccharum, this bar simply soaks the peel in sugar for two days. The result is a concentrated, almost tannic syrup that is mixed into Project Halcyon’s Old Dog, New Trix, a tropical clarifying cocktail. At home, this simple ingredient can replace a classic daiquiri or old-fashioned simple syrup. Adding a little saline will bring out the delicateness of the banana peel.
It’s easy to classify the skin as a second-class ingredient. After all, although it is usually considered wasteful, the peel has its own characteristics. Banana peels contain tannins not found in the fruit, which can impart astringency or bitterness to balance certain flavors.Can also be placed in parallel with fruit to help ground Banana spirit infusion.
The unique flavor profile of this humble ingredient is so prized that it’s even made its way into bottled products. In the UK, the waste-themed brand Discarded banana peel rum In 2020, we’ll be introducing easy-to-make daiquiris with subtle fruit flavors and no unpleasant sweetness.
But at home, the possibilities of banana peels are still untapped, from making syrups and cordials to infusions and fermentations, and are almost limitless. To start with, it’s best to make things clear. For those experimenting with the material, Ristaino offers a general rule of thumb: “Use banana fruit in strong cocktails like shaken cocktails or piña colada variations, and use banana peels in stirred or hot cocktails,” he says. The key is to consider the flavor profile of each element. “In a way, the banana fruit itself is the high note, and the banana peel is the low note.”
