bananas have been used for centuries as a fermentable raw material in making beer and wine, particularly in regions of East Africa. See Central and East Africa. In the mid-nineteenth century, there are references to banana syrup being added to spirits (such as banana brandy) published in liquor manufacturing guides (such as Dr. Lewis Feuchtwanger’s 1858 Fermented Liquors). Early in the twentieth century, recipes for crème de banana appear, in which banana is infused in neutral spirit and sugar and vanilla added. Soon after, cocktail recipes that include crème de banana or banana liqueur are published in European cocktail guides such as the 1913 Lexikon der Getränke.
There are reports of distillation of bananas in the early twentieth century, such as a 1912 pharmacy journal, Merck’s Report, which notes that banana “is a possible source of alcohol. It is reported that a very good spirit has been obtained from bananas unfit for any other purpose in Guatemala.” Perhaps the best-known example of the distillation of bananas is in the form of a banana gin known as enguli or waragi made by the indigenous people of Uganda.
Although many artificially flavored banana liqueurs are on the market today, some of the older European brands, such as Giffard, continue using traditional production methods that incorporate real bananas.
Narayana, Cherukatu Kalathil, and Michael Pillay. “Postharvest Processed Products from Banana.” In Banana Breeding: Progress and Challenges, ed. Michael Pillay and Abdou Tenkouano, 269–284. Boca Raton, FL: CRC, 2011.
Willis, Justin. “Banana Wine.” In Alcohol and Temperance in Modern History: An International Encyclopedia, ed. Jack S. Blocker, David M. Fahey, and Ian R. Tyrell, 1:84-86. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2003.
By: Martin Cate