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Homemade Banana and Nutmeg Virgin Shrub (Banana Kompot)

banana nutmeg shrub virgin
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Banana is back people!
Hi, everyone. Ivo chiming in here by the way and I am super excited about this one in case you couldn’t tell 🙂 I know that you probably don’t think cocktails when you hear bananas and I can’t really blame you for it. I mean they are virtually impossible to juice and muddling them wouldn’t get you anywhere either, but I’ve always said: “where there’s a will, there’s a way.” (well it wasn’t me that said it first but I will take credit for it temporarily.)

So maybe it’s the tiki cocktail revival or maybe it’s just that bananas are simply amazing (yes, it is by far my favorite fruit) but 2017 is already bringing somewhat of a banana cocktail renaissance. We can see banana liqueurs, homemade infusions, and syrups slowly taking over the cocktail scene. And now that it’s summertime or what I call the bbq-vacation-relax-drink-all-day-season (I might have improvised here), I thought that Mikey and I should make something special to celebrate summertime in style. So let’s go bananas!

A few month ago we made this Strawberry-Pink Peppercorn Virgin Shrub that we later incorporated in a few delicious cocktails. And we honestly think that virgin shrubs made such a good and healthy cocktail ingredients that we thought of giving this technique another try using our new summer obsession – bananas!

Ok, now that you’ve watched the video, I feel that I have to clarify that what I refer to as “virgin shrub” is known in my native country of Bulgaria as Kompot. Not to be confused with the dessert called compote, kompot is a non-alcoholic drink made by packing fruit, water, and sugar in a jar and submerging it into boiling water. For Eastern Europeans, this is a way to preserve produce during the cold winter months, but for us at Flair Project, the virgin shrub is another homemade ingredient we can use to make delicious yet healthy cocktails with.

Now that I have come clean, I can tell you a little bit more about this shrub. You may know that we are always looking to create more complex and interesting flavors for our cocktails. So, after experimenting with a few combinations, we really liked the taste of nutmeg and bananas together. As a result, we ended up with a very flavorful cocktail mixture perfect for tiki drinks, mocktails and everything that involves rum, bourbon and lime juice.

By the way, we have something really cool coming up next week using this shrub – let’s just say it’s a tiki-beer drink…so stick around!

Oh, I almost forgot – the best part of making this virgin shrub, beside not using vinegar, is that you can use half the amount of sugar required to make a banana syrup and still get the same flavor and sweetness from it. And because the boiling water is out of the jar not interacting with the fruit directly, there is no evaporation, so you end up with more product and the perfect consistency for cocktail making.

banana nutmeg infused-kompot

banana kompot

And after you make a few delicious cocktails, try freezing this shrub in a popsicle mold – your kids would go crazy for it (maybe your friends too)

So…Go bananas guys and let us know what drink you will be making with this shrub. Comment in the section below or hashtag your cocktail #barqualitycocktailsmadeathome on Instagram to let us know!

Banana & Nutmeg Virgin shrub

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 Bananas
  • 16 oz Water
  • 1 cup White Sugar
  • 8 Whole Nutmegs

Instructions

  1. Cut the banana into small round pieces

  2. In a sealable jar, add 16 oz. water, sliced bananas, sugar, and nutmeg. Seal the jar tightly

  3. Place the sealed jar in a deep pot and fill it with cold water (make sure the jar is completely submerged under the water)

  4. Place the pot on the stove and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil until the water in the jar adopts a banana-like yellow color (20-30 min)

  5. Remove the pot from the stove and take the jar out. Immediately turn the jar upside down so the bottom is facing up and let it cool down that way (this will ensure the jar is sealed)

  6. Before opening, shake the jar well. Then strain the liquid through a fine mesh sieve

Recipe Notes

When sealed, this shrub can be stored in a cool, dark place for up to 6 months. After breaking the seal, it is best to use it in the first 3-4 days after the jar has been open.

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  • DIY

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