Boozy Banana Rum Raisin Smoothie

Posted by Rowena Dumlao Rowena Dumlao - Giardina 5/06/2014

Boozy Banana Rum Raisin Smoothie

There were only two fruit shakes that I loved when I was growing up. Mangoes and bananas. Mango shakes are always in the restaurant menus but bananas rarely come out in the list. For that reason, I make them at home with very little milk, just a drop if you may, because of my aversion of dairy milk, and a lot of ice. Different varieties of bananas are indigenous to the Philippines and there was a particular one that I specifically used for my banana shakes, never the others. I recall its name as señorita. It is smaller than the other varieties, very sweet and quite creamy in taste. In short, I would say that it's the best banana I know.

But, like in another situation, nature's yields vary in every place so I can't ever have them in Italy. The Cavendish bananas that we get in Italy are much larger in size and the flavor is completely different. Cavendish are also grown in Southern Philippines but they are the ones that are typically exported and not commonly sold to the local market as much as the other cultivars (based on what I knew before I left the country in the 90's). Señorita, I learned, doesn't have a long life so it's not a candidate to leave the country. To enjoy it, you will have to eat it there.

Cavendish bananas also have sweet white pulp, smooth yellow skin and they are bigger than the other cultivars. For using in fruit shakes, they are actually very good and plentiful, fills up a glass easily.

Ever since I discovered almond milk, I never stopped making fruit shakes and smoothies at home. I avoided dairy like plague when I was small and the aromatic almond version gave me a new possibility to enjoy milk-based drinks completely. So in all my smoothies, I always use almond milk but it can always be changed according to your taste. Dairy can work better for you, rice milk to some and then there's also soy and oat.

Rum and raisin is my favorite combination. In homemade gelato, it's my absolute favorite. A friend used to make it really well and when he makes this gelato, I was always the first with the spoon in his house. So when I was thinking of what to add to the bananas, I thought of raisins and since in my mind, rum is married to raisins, I put them together in the blender and out came this beautiful white, thick cold drink called Banana Rum Raisin Smoothie, the recipe of which can be found at the site of She Knows. At my Profile Page in She Knows, you can also see the other recipes I created for them.

I hope you enjoy this slightly boozy smoothie. I couldn't stop drinking it when I started blending. You will love it, I'm sure, if you are a banana smoothie lover. Have a good week!