For the banana puree, i tried all sorts of things and the craziest thing worked! Gerbers baby food. Its 100% natural banana, and already fine strained. So easy! But not necesarily something to list on a menu…

Cocktail Inspiration

This cocktail is inspired by a core childhood food memory- my mom's banana nut chocolate chip muffins. She made them throughout my childhood and were always a favorite treat. When I saw this competition posted, I knew I had to make something as an homage to my mother. My father passed away a little over a year ago, and he had a problem with alcohol, so I grew up in a dry house. Since his passing, my mom has been able to explore the more beautiful and creative aspects of my career in bartending. I have found such pleasure in opening up this world to her, and her FAVORITE thing is Licor 43. It was the first bottle I ever bought her, and she was hooked. Combining her favorite spirit with my favorite recipe of hers was as obvious as it is delicious! It was really hard being a bartender with the conotation of alcohol in my house, so being able to share these experiences with my family has really helped the grieving process.

Ingredients

• 30 Ml. Licor 43 Original
• 30 Ml. Vodka (I used Chopin)
• 30 Ml. Espresso
• 25 Ml. Banana puree
• 15 Ml. Creme de cacao (I used Jacquins dark)
• 10 Ml. Oat milk
• 1 Dashes Black walnut bitters

Method

Cocktail Preparation

• Combine all ingredients in a shaker tin
• Shake vigorously
• Double strain over a large cube into an Old Fashioned glass
• Garnish with a banana chip

Coffee Preparation

• Pack espresso into a standard espresso machine
• Pull 1 oz of espresso per cocktail
• Allow to cool if possible to avoid overdilution during cocktail preparation