Sippin' Dirty Bananas

     The food pyramid suggests eating 2-4 servings of fruit each day and I've found my favorite way to meet that goal - Dirty Bananas!  It's Recipe Tuesday and this week's recipe is an adult beverage that's perfect for cooling off on a hot summer day.  Aaron and I originally discovered this drink at Nancy's Snack Bar on the Vineyard back in July.  Thankfully, I had watched Donovan make the drink several times and remembered the ingredients so it was easy to replicate when we got home. 
     When making this drink at home we use the Ninja Master Prep blender (here).  If you've ever been up at 3am watching tv then I'm sure you've seen the infomericals.  This is THE BEST blender we've ever owned, it litterally turns ice into snow in seconds!  It's just as powerful as the professional blenders you see at restaruants and we never have chunks of ice left at the bottom like you would with a traditional blender.  Highly recommend it.  Ok, on to the recipe...

     You'll need an actual banana for this drink, not banana liqueur. Donovan explained to me the browner the banana the better because brown bananas have more flavor.  Keep in mind that the following recipe is for one drink.  If you don't want half a banana laying around for days you might as well just double the drink and use the whole banana! ;)
 

Dirty Banana
1/2 banana (the browner the better)
1 oz Vodka
1 oz Bailey's Irish Cream, plus a splash
1 oz Kahlua
Chocolate syrup
2 cups ice

Whipped cream (optional, but really - who doesn't love whipped cream?!)

1. Add banana, ice and liqour to blender and blend 10-15 seconds (or until smooth).
2. Drizzle inside of glass with chocolate syrup and add a splash of Bailey's to the bottom.
3. Pour drink in glass, top with whipped cream and more chocolate syrup.  Enjoy!