Here`s a quite subtle syrup as far as sweet banana flavor goes but flavor wise it´s rich and there´s a pronounced “green” banana flavor in it. It`s made to mostly be used in tiki and tropical drinks to add a little extra exotic touch of something “green and jungly” yet rich, dark and mysterious…
It`s made with one unripe apple banana, dark muscovado sugar and water.
Muscovado sugar comes in two varieties here, light and dark. The light is not white, it´s light to medium brown and has a rich wonderful flavor. The flavor of the dark is a lot more towards the flavors of molasses and also has a hint of liquorice to it. The finished syrup is a very deep dark brown, almost black.
Apple bananas also called Manzano bananas are short, plump and fat in shape and their flesh’s texture is firm when young almost like plantains, but tender and creamy when ripe. Young Apple bananas are both tangy and sweet with hints of apple. As they ripens, they will develop a far more tropical flavor profile, with notes of pineapple and strawberry. The Apple banana has a complex scent marked by a strong tart-apple aroma.
Ripe Apple bananas should also make a nice syrup with a stronger banana flavor but i wanted  a  “greenish” type of  flavor so i used a green unripe Apple banana which i got from a Thai shop.
Another idea could be to use half unripe and half  ripe piece of  Apple banana with the “light” type muscovado sugar to make a sweeter more bana-ish type of syrup as well.
So what you do is adding in a 2:1 ratio sugar to water in a small pan and make the syrup, let cool and pour into a vessel and set aside. Clean the pan and add slices of the banana which you mash with a fork then add the syrup and let it cook up and when it cooks, take immediately off the heat because you do not want the sugar to caramelize. Leave to cool for at least a couple hours or overnight for the flavors to settle, then strain and bottle in a clean bottle.
Before setting aside i turned the pieces with peel upside down to get as flavor much as possible out of the green peel.
It should last a couple weeks in the fridge. I made only a small batch since i don`t use banana syrup in all drinks, i took about 1 cup(2.5dl) sugar and half of that in water and then one Apple banana.
After sitting overnight the whole thing looks like this
The syrup turned out really nice with a deep semi-sweet green bananish and molasses like flavor.
I decided to make a variation of the “Lava flow” using the green banana syrup instead of a fresh banana to take away that sweet banana flavor and make it more “green” and unsweet if that`s the word when there´s Coco Real Cream of Coconut in the drink….but i wanted to avoid the over sweetness which the combination of Cream of Coconut AND a whole ripe banana could be. I also added a half  ounce of fresh lime to add some freshness and zest to the mix.
Kilauea`s Fiery Lava Flow
2Â oz unsweetened pineapple juice
2 oz Coco Real Cream of  Coconut or Coco Lopez
0.5 oz green apple banana syrup
0.5 oz fresh lime
2 oz strawberries
1Â oz white rum (i used Koloa Kaua`i Coconut Rum)
1 oz overproof rum (i used Lost Spirits 151 Cuban Inspired Rum)
Mix 1 – Blend rums and strawberries in blender, pour into a tall (or other) glass and set aside
Mix 2 -Rinse the blender and blend pineapple juice, green apple banana syrup and Coco Real with 1 cup crushed ice until smooth. Slowly pour the blended mix into the glass with the rum and strawberries mix which should start to creep up the sides of the glass creating a lava flow effect.
Garnish with what you have on hand, a pineapple wedge, tropical orchid etc and a flaming lime shell.
To make the flaming lime shell: Take a half spent lime shell to use as “bowl” and place 2-3 croutons in it that are drenched in lemon extract (burns longer and brighter) or 151 overproof rum, make sure there´s nothing close to the drink above it and set it alight.
Now that`s a drink! best suitable for the pool in hot tropical weather actually but one can dream right?
Green Banana Daiquiri
Just a daiquiri with this green apple banana syrup! rum, lime and green banana syrup! But this one is even more potent than the Fiery Lava Flow…
2 oz Lost Spirits 151 Cuban Inspired Rum
0.75 oz fresh lime juice
0.5 oz green apple banana syrup
Shake together with ice cubes and strain into a chilled cocktail coupe or glass and garnish with two slices of green apple banana. Be careful with this one! if you want a milder daiquiri use another good white or aged rum!
Green Jet Pilot (Twist of Hale Pèles Jet Pilot with a twist of green banana)
0.5 oz fresh lime juice
0.5 oz grapefruit juice (white)
0.5 oz green apple banana syrup
0.5 oz cinnamon syrup
0.75 oz  Gold Puerto Rican Rum (for example Don Q)
0.75 oz Lemon Hart 151 Demerara Rum
1 oz Rougaroux Fullmoon Dark Rum (amazing blackstrap rum from Louisiana– if you can`t find it sub with Cruzan Blackstrap)
1 dash Angostura bitters
6 drops pernod
Mix everything with crushed ice and dump into an goblet and top with more crushed ice and garnish with a piece of green apple banana on the side of the glass and a speared green banana slice and tropical orchid.
Go green bananas!