dirty banana cocktail in a highball glass garnished with a banana slice and maraschino cherry

Why I love this dirty banana cocktail

We’ve reached the height of summer here, and we’re trying to soak it all in before school starts again, which means this frozen banana concoction has has been on repeat – that is, when we’re not sipping a bicicletta cocktail by the pool.

I love this recipe because it’s not super sweet – at least not compared to other frozen cocktails, and I’m sure the coffee liqueur and dark rum help balance the sweetness of the banana.

Here’s what you’ll need to make it

Equipment:

Easy Measure Jigger

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Highball Glass

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Blender

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overhead image of a frozen banana cocktail garnished with a cherry and banana slice

Ingredients & substitutions

Dark rum – feel free to substitute your favorite rum here, but we prefer dark over spiced and white
Coffee liqueur – if you don’t like the flavor of coffee, you could sub a chocolate liqueur like creme de cacao.
Banana liqueur – I’ve also seen this made with banana flavored rum, but I think the liqueur adds a bit of sweetness and keeps the drink from being super strong
Milk – any milk you like, we normally use coconut milk, but any kind will work
Banana – the riper the better, but this definitely can’t be skipped
Ice

dirty banana cocktail in a highball glass

How to make a dirty banana cocktail

Measure. Place all of the ingredients into a high speed blender. I recommend adding the liquid first, followed by the banana and ice. This helps the blender get things going and leads to a smoother drink.

Blend. Run your blender at a high speed for about 30 seconds, or until the ice and bananas have broken down. If needed, pulse the blender until the drink is smooth.

Garnish. Pour the blended cocktail into two highball glasses – or whatever glasses you choose to serve them in – and garnish with whipped cream, banana slice, cherry and a dusting of freshly grated nutmeg.

closeup of whipped cream and garnish on a banana cocktail

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For even more cocktail recipes, check out our recipe index!