Some years ago, after my first visit to New Orleans for Mardi Gras, I was inspired by Brennan's Restaurant to create a cocktail inspired by their famous dessert, Bananas Foster. I was firmly in the throes of taking my cocktail inspiration from favorite foods so throwing Bananas Foster into a cocktail shaker as a drinkable version sounded good to me.
My Bananas Foster Martini was a pretty good result for someone as new to mixology as I was in those days, especially considering I had yet to stumble on the likes of David Wondrich, Jeffrey Morgenthaler, Robert Hess and other noted cocktail gurus. In those days I was flying by the seat of my pants and relying heavily on my culinary training when the cocktail cravings hit. It wasn't a bad place to start, but a good decade later of studying the above mentioned fellows (and a few hundred dollars invested in their books), I often see how a drink recipe can be improved or updated and will have a go at a remake.
Though it tasted great in that Bananas Foster Martini, I still don't know why I added Creme de Cacao to it, the authentic Bananas Foster recipe doesn't make use of any chocolate. That's why, this time, neither do I. And, since boozy shakes are very trendy, I went decadent with a nice, Jamaican rum based Bananas Foster Milkshake.
