BANANA DAIQUIRI MARTINI - Classic Cocktails for Banana Week

If you like bananas this Banana Daiquiri Martini should just tickle your monkey toes! Try it out with my Banana Chicken Fritters or today's banana recipe at The Diva of Tiny Foods.

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BANANA COCKTAILS

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BANANAS FOSTER MARTINI - Tribute to Brennan's Bananas Foster

This Bananas Foster Martini is my tribute to a great dining experience and to one of the best desserts I ever tasted - Bananas Foster, created and made famous by Brennan's of New Orleans. The cocktail recipe has the essence of the wonderful flavors of that inspired dessert, the caramel sauce drizzle brings in the caramelising of the bananas in the brown sugar, the cream hints at the ice cream, the rum of course is the rum flavor and the banana liqueur and banana garnish with a little sprinkle of cinnamon round out the famous dessert's flavors.

If you've ever had the privilege of visiting New Orleans, chances are you made sure to visit the world famous Brennan's Restaurant. I know I did, in fact I went twice on my first visit to NOLA. On my first day in this wonderful city I made a point to get my reservations in so I could sample their globally renowned food.

I was particularly looking forward to the Bananas Foster as it was created at Brennan's and is one of their signature dishes. This classic dessert from a classic restaurant did not disappoint and I soon hunted down their recipe and started making it at home.

Below is a little history on the creation of this dessert and the recipe directly from Brennan's Website for their famous Bananas Foster.

Bananas Foster dessert was created in 1951 by Chef Paul for Brennan's of New Orleans. This now famous dessert was created for a challenge by Owen Edward Brennan who wanted to promote imported bananas (New Orleans was a major port of entry for bananas in the fifties) and also as a recipe for a feature article on Brennan's in Holiday Magazine.

It was named for Richard Foster who was a favored customer of Brennan's as well as a personal friend to Owen.

According to the restaurant, thirty-five thousand pounds of bananas are flamed each year at Brennan's to create this world dessert for it's clientele.

Brennan's Recipe for it's famous
BANANAS FOSTER

Ingredients:
1/2 stick of butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup banana liqueur
4 bananas, cut in half lengthwise, then halved
1/4 cup dark rum
vanilla ice cream, (four scoops according to Brennan's.)

Directions:
Combine the butter, sugar, and cinnamon in a flambé pan or skillet.
Place the pan over low heat either on an alcohol burner or on top of the stove, and cook, stirring, until the sugar dissolves.
Stir in the banana liqueur, then place the bananas in the pan.
When the banana sections soften and begin to brown, carefully add the rum.
Continue to cook the sauce until the rum is hot, then tip the pan slightly to ignite the rum.
When the flames subside, lift the bananas out of the pan and place four pieces over each portion of ice cream.
Generously spoon warm sauce over the top of the ice cream and serve immediately.

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Updated 1 -2017

JULY 4th FIREWORKS MARTINI and Other Red, White & Blue Cocktails

FOURTH OF JULY COCKTAILS

JULY 4TH MARTINI RECIPE CARDS

Stay safe this Fourth of July - Don't Drink and Drive or Drink and Do Fireworks!

Updated 2-2017 PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY & DRIVE RESPONSIBLY

The PINA COLADA MARTINI - Pineapple, Coconut & Rum = Martini Booty

 

This is my take on a classic Pina Colada - The Pina Colada Martini! The Pina Colada cocktail that we're familiar with today is claimed to be the invention of many cocktail aficionados, among them Don Ramon Portas Mingot in 1963 and Ramon "Monchito" Marrero of the Caribe Hilton Hotel in Puerto Rico in 1954 - but this cocktail has it's roots way back with the Pirates in the early 1800s!

In the 1820s El Pirata Cofresi (the Puerto Rican pirate Roberto Corfresi), served a concoction of pineapple, coconut and white rum to his crew to keep morale high. This is the first historical mention of the combination of these ingredients so I think the pirate wins - besides it's about pirates and who doesn't love the idea of pirates and rum?

Shiver me timbers! Thar be treasure in them thar martini glasses! And if you have one too many just remember that dead men tell no tales - Yo ho, Yo ho!

The
PINA COLADA MARTINI

Tropical Martinis - BLUE HAWAII MARTINI

I bought a bottle of berry flavored, turquoise blue Maraschino cherries and was looking for new recipes to use them. Anything with Blue Curacao is a natural for a blue cherry and I always think "tropical" when a drink is colored blue so I tossed in some coconut rum, vanilla vodka and some pineapple juice with the Blue Curacao for a variation on the famous Blue Hawaii cocktail created by bartender Harry Yee at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Resort and Spa in 1957 for Bols new liqueur, Blue Curacao.

Here is the authentic original recipe for a Blue Hawaii cocktail - note there is no coconut in it:

• 3/4 oz. Light Rum
• 3/4 oz. Vodka
• 1/2 oz. Blue Curacao
• 3 oz. Pineapple Juice
• 1 oz. Sweet & Sour Mix

Cheers and ALOHA!

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The GARDEN IN A GLASS Vegetable Martini Cocktail

This cocktail is almost a small liquid salad (which doesn't require a fork!) Think of it as a lovely blend of all sorts of fresh veggies dressed in tomato vodka that you drink instead of eat.

The
GARDEN IN A GLASS
MARTINI

INGREDIENTS
1-1/2 Oz. Homemade Heirloom Tomato Vodka
3 Oz. V-8 Juice
2 Drops Scrappy's Celery Bitters
1 Dash of Cholula Chipotle Hot Sauce

Pinch of Garlic Salt

Garnish: Fresh Oregano and Basil,
Assortment of Veggie Garnishes

DIRECTIONS
Pour the ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice cubes and shake until well chilled.
Pour into a chilled cocktail glass, sprinkle on some of the fresh herbs, garnish with some fresh veggies and serve.

If you're lucky enough to have a garden, make your own V-8 Juice as well as the tomato vodka!

It's a really fun, fresh and healthy martini that might even save you from having to serve up canapes.

VOICEOVER VIDEO WITH INGREDIENTS AND DIRECTIONS:

Cheers, M'Dears. To your health!

Updated 6-2021

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CUCUMBER MARTINI - Vegetable Martinis - to your health!

I got a good deal on cucumbers last week and decided to try making another cucumber martini. A few months ago I developed a great martini - actually one of my favorite savory martinis now - The Gazpacho Martini and it has cucumbers in it. Since I enjoyed that martini so much and I had a ton of cucumbers I decided to try another Cucumber martini - this one a savory one. I posted a sweeter based Cucumber Thyme Martini in April, but I wanted something salty this time.

I wanted to give the martini a little herbal touch out of my own garden and wavered between my fresh dill and my fresh oregano until I decided that the dill would make this martini taste like a dill pickle. Now, that's not actually a bad flavor but I wasn't in the mood for a liquid dill pickle so I chose the oregano and it was a good choice.
This Cucumber Martini would be a great martini to serve with crudités and other veggie inspired appetizers - many of which you can find at my sister site, The Diva of Tiny Foods.
All in all, it was a perfect martini for a warm summer night out on the deck - refreshing and freshly made - Cheers and To Your Health!

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