Bailey's Banana Colada

For the past few months my bestie has been going on and on about some cocktail that she and her hubs had on their way to Montauk last summer. Finally, as we all gathered last weekend for some food and merriment, we decided to try to recreate it. We didn't have a recipe but we did have a blender and all the likely suspects for ingredients. The problem was that as we kept tweaking and pouring and tasting, we kinda lost track of what we'd added. So by the time we thought we had it right, we were all too drunk to remember the ingredients. Haha...what a bunch of wacky kids we are...except for the fact that we're all over 40!

Anyway, several days later and finally sobered up, I decided to actually try to find the recipe online. That approach, while less fun, proved far more productive and I found a couple of variations. The drink my friends had was frozen but there is a creamy, non-frozen version that Brian and I rather liked. Most recipes call for banana liqueur but I didn't have any and I doubt the drink was any worse off as a result because it still had a good banana flavor.

So, in honor of St. Patrick's Day, here is our version of a delicious Irish Cream drink.  Cheers!

Per serving:
1/2 Ripe banana
2 oz. Dark rum (spiced rum or coconut rum work well, too)
2 oz. Bailey's Irish Cream
1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon coconut milk *
2 Teaspoons pineapple juice

Blend all the ingredients in a blender or small chopper until smooth and the banana is incorporated. Pour into a cocktail shaker filled with ice and shake well. Serve in a chilled daiquiri style glass.

*  Most recipes call for pina colada mix but since such a small amount is needed, I used the ingredients that go into a mix which are coconut milk and pineapple juice. If you're using an actual pre-made mix, the quantity is 1 oz.