Banana Peel Syrup
Interesting Facts
Usually when we see banana peels we think of something that gets thrown out.
Now, I want you to see it as a part of the fruit which is completely edible, extremely nutritious and even flavorful. Just like a regular banana!
Banana peels have the same kinds of nutrients as the fruit itself, but with higher amounts of each one! Filled with Vitamin B6 and B12 as well as magnesium and potassium, consuming a banana peel is not only good for your body, but also better for the environment.
Instead of wasting them, they can be eaten, or in this case, made into a syrup for your drinks.
So why waste it?
When you think about it, a banana has two ingredients from one single product: the fruit and the skin.
Fruit
We never juice bananas because they have too high of fiber to juice ratio, meaning that one of the few ways to mix them is by blending them.
We blend them to make smoothies and purees, which gives them limited ways to integrate into cocktails and other beverages.
When talking about drinks, the fruit would need to be blended or infused, but retrieving the juice is almost impossible.
If you’ve ever tried to juice a banana, you understand exactly what I’m talking about.
Skin
Banana peels, if saved, can be used as fertilizers for plants and a few other home remedies, but not many people are willing to drink or eat them.
Bartenders and people at home use just the fruit, which in my opinion is a waste because both parts taste exactly the same to each other.
The peel contains plenty of moisture just waiting to be extracted, and that moisture can be retrieved by applying the following technique.
Oleo Saccarum
The technique to apply when making a syrup is to make an Oleo Saccharum out of it, and in my experience, it’s the best way to extract all the banana flavor from the peel.
Oleo Saccharum is an oil sugar – an ingredient used in mixology traditionally created by placing citrus skin fruits with sugar.
The sugar extracts the citrus oils from the rinds, resulting in a citrus syrup.
These ‘citrus syrups’ were a common ingredient used for making Punches since the 17th Century.
Although banana peels don’t have citrus oils, they are filled with moisture which can be extracted by applying the same technique.
Once extracted you’ll have created a banana flavored syrup just from the skins alone!
Talk about reusing and recycling!
How To Make It
Follow the recipe and take note that you can always adjust the quantities of your sugar based on how sweet or dense you want your syrup to be.
Less sugar = less sweet, less flavorful, more liquidy
More sugar = more sweet, more banana flavor, and denser.
Oh! And don’t be afraid to experiment with different types of sugar like Demerara or Muscovado!
Ingredients
- Banana Peels
- Pure Cane Sugar
- Mason Jar (or any container)
- Blender
- Cheesecloth (or a very fine fileter)
Recipe
Get your banana peels and dice them up
(Dicing them will make it easier for the sugar to extract the moisture).
Mix equal weights of diced banana peels to sugar
(try this and then adjust to your preference the next time that you make it)
Let the sugar and peels sit in a jar overnight at room temperature, or for a minimum of 4-5 hours.
During this process, you’ll notice from hour to hour that. the sugar is extracting the water from the peels and dissolving, thereby forming a syrup.
Syrup will form
Blitz Everything
Once blitzed into a big pile of pulp, strain your liquid out using a cheesecloth.
Bottle it up and there you have it! Your banana syrup that has been created just by using the peels of the fruit.
Banana Peel Syrup
Banana goes well with plenty of spirits and cocktails.
As far as spirits go, it works perfectly with all types of Whiskeys, Cognacs and Rums. Aged spirits usually work especially well.
As far as cocktails go, try it in a Whisky Sour, Old Fashioned and definitely in Tiki drinks!
With mocktails try banana peel syrup, lime juice and ginger beer.
Check out the Video Below on how to use Banana Peel syrup in a Mai Tai cocktail.
Banana Peel Mai Tai
Banana Mai Tai:
- 50ml Plantation Dark Rum
- 15ml Cointreau
- 30ml Lime Juice
- 15ml Banana Peel Syrup
