Justinos (clarified fruit infusions) are a well I draw from frequently for spring and summer drinks. I don’t believe there’s any way to get better extraction of flavor from fresh berries then to integrate them into a justino cordial, for example.
Fall presents an interesting opportunity to use same techniques, but with flavors and ingredients that are a little more seasonally appropriate. As a kid, I have distinct memories of my house being filled with the smell of my mom’s banana bread, so bananas and nutmeg have always had a cool-weather correlation for me.
Bananas Justino was one of the earliest cocktails to use pectinex clarification in cocktails, and was on the menu for a time at Saint Germain, so it felt like a ripoff to reach for rum. Instead, I went for a nice combination of two of my favorite Bottled-In-Bond products - Evan Williams, and Rittenhouse Rye. Equal parts gave me just the right amount of body and richness from the bourbon to play into the awesome rye-spice.
After blending and spinning with four bananas, the resulting spirit came out tasting almost exactly like a boozy banana bread. Keeping things simple, I combined the banana whiskey with a little bit of Cap Corse Mattei Rouge, Ango and nutmeg for a punchy Old-Fashioned riff that’s been killing it on the menu at crudo.
Recipes for everything below! If you don’t have a centrifuge, the banana spirit can be fudged by using unseasoned banana chips to infuse - a couple of handfuls infused in an airtight container overnight should do the trick.
Banana Bou-Rye
You’ll Need:
Equipment:
Procedure:
Combine the whiskey and bananas in the blender pitcher. Add 1/2 barspoon Pectinex, and blend for 60 seconds. Inspect for the “break”.
Spin the mixture in three batches, for 25 minutes each, or in batch mode. Be sure to strain through a fine mesh at before bottling to catch any seed.
Gwen Says Hello:
Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass. Add ice and stir. Strain into a rocks glass with a big cube. Garnish with finely grated nutmeg.