Rebecca Whitaker had spent six years behind the bar when she moved to New Orleans. “I thought I was ready to go,” she said. When her first interviewer asked for her rendition of an Old Fashioned, she drew a blank “What do you mean ‘my own rendition’?” She quickly realized, “In New Orleans, craft bartending…is the motherland.” Her Old Fashioned, inspired by bananas Foster, shows her professional development. The fat washed rum provides the dessert’s “buttery goodness” while the bananas appear in the syrup. And the tableside fire? Whitaker remembers thinking “Maybe I could set it on fire?” but decided the overproof rum provided “fire in your mouth.” Whitaker is inspired by her work in hospitality. “I’m creating this cocktail for you, so I want to know everything about you. I love to yap, so I want to tell you things about me, too… People have their callings and… I was fortunate enough to find my thing. It’s like that every single day.”
Ingredients
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1 1/2 oz brown buterr fat-washed Planteray Dark run (see recipe below)
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1/2 oz Planteray O.F.T.D. Overproof Rum
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1/2 oz banana-infused simple syrup (see recipe below)
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5-6 dashes of Angostura bitters
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orange peel for garnish
- Brown Butter Fat-Washed Dark Planteray Rum
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1 stick unsalted butter (.5) cup
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2 cups Dark Planteray Run (or other dark rum)
- Banana Infused Simple Syrup
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1 very ripe banana
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1/2 cup demerara, turbinado, or brown sugar
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1/2 cup white sugar
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1/2 cup water
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stip of orange peel
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1/2 oz vodka (optional)
Directions
- Brown Butter Fat-Washed Dark Planteray Rum
- Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring regularly until small brown specks appear. Do not allow it to burn. Remove from heat, cool briefly, and strain into a jar to remove any specks. Add rum and shake mixture vigorously every 20 minutes for 2 hours. Refrigerate for 24 hours. Remove any large bits of butter from the mixture and save (see Tips). Strain mixture through a cheesecloth or a coffee filter, to remove any remaining butter. The rum should be used within two weeks for maximum freshness and taste. Alcohol acts as a preservative, but the fat will oxidize and change the flavor over time.
- Banana Infused Simple Syrup
- Place banana, sugar, and water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Let simmer for 5 minutes, making sure the sugar has dissolved. Turn off heat but leave on the burner. Add the orange peel and let mixture macerate for 20-25 minutes. Strain to remove all solids. If using vodka, add now. The syrup without vodka will keep for a week in the refrigerator. Adding vodka can extend that to two weeks.
- To make the drink:
- Add all ingredients to a mixing glass with ice. Stir until chilled. Strain into a rocks glass over ice. Garnish with orange peel.
Notes
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TIPS
Whitaker pours the banana syrup every day in her coffee. She also recommends it over ice cream. You could also replace some or all regular syrup in a classic daiquiri.
If you didn’t want to make the fat washed rum, you can just use the Planteray Dark.
Whitaker uses the rum butter when baking cookies or banana bread or any treat where it would enhance the flavor. It’s also great on toast, eaten with your morning coffee spiked with banana syrup!
