Banana Walnut Old Fashioned

I used to work at a restaurant that had one of the best old fashioneds I’d ever had: the banana walnut old fashioned. Years later, I was still thinking about that cocktail, but the restaurant was no longer in business, so I had to resort to some good ol’ experimentation.

First, I tried to make it with a banana simple syrup, and the flavor fell flat. Plus, I knew it was an easy way out, because I distinctly remember asking the bartender how they achieved such a rounded banana flavor, and he said “Oh, it’s infused!”

This was the first time I’d ever infused liquor before, and I’ll admit it takes a lot of patience, but the end result is so worth it! The mellow banana flavor paired with the nuttiness of the black walnut bitters — it’s truly chef’s kiss.

Ingredients:

  • 1 demerara sugar cube

  • 2 dashes orange bitters

  • 4 dashes black walnut bitters

  • 2½ oz banana infused bourbon

  • garnish: orange twist

Directions:

Add sugar cube and bitters into a cocktail mixing glass and muddle gently. Add banana infused bourbon along with ice and stir for approximately thirty seconds (dilution is key to perfecting this cocktail!). Strain into a chilled rocks glass over a large ice cube. Garnish with an orange twist.

BANANA INFUSED BOURBON

Ingredients:

  • 2½ very ripe bananas, sliced

  • 16 oz bourbon

Directions:

  1. In a large mason jar, combine bourbon and sliced bananas (along with peel from 1 banana). Close tightly, mark with the date, and store in a cool, dark place for fourteen days.

  2. Once you’re ready to strain, you’ll strain in three steps.

    1. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl.

    2. Strain through a cheesecloth lined fine-mesh sieve.

    3. Strain through a (rinsed) coffee filter; you may need more than 1 coffee filter for this process, but let it take its time.

  3. Overall, the straining process should take about 3 hours to fully strain all of the banana sediment out.

  4. Store in a mason jar and enjoy!

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