Banana Liqueur
Banana liqueur is a sweet, banana-flavoured liqueur, usually bottled at about 20% ABV; Regulation (EC) No 110/2008, retained in GB, demands at least 15% and 100 grams of sugar a litre, and 250 grams for a bottle labelled crème de banane. Recipes use it at 10 to 15ml, mostly with rum and lime, for ripe-fruit sweetness.
Quick Facts
We store it upright in a cool, dark place and, once opened, reseal it tightly after use. Refrigeration is optional but can help preserve freshness over time.
None of the 14 listed allergens. Recipes vary by brand: check the bottle.
About Banana Liqueur
Flavour Profile
Primary Flavours
Tasting Notes
Sweet, ripe banana aroma with soft tropical fruit notes and a smooth, rounded palate. Quality expressions finish cleanly without artificial aftertaste.
Banana liqueur is a sweetened spirit with a legal floor
Most banana liqueur starts as neutral spirit, flavoured with banana and sweetened. In Great Britain the retained spirit drinks regulation sets the floor for any liqueur at 15% ABV and 100 grams of sugar a litre, and most banana bottlings sit around 20%. How the banana gets in varies more than the strength does: some makers steep fruit or purée, some add a spirit distilled from bananas, and the cheapest rely on flavouring.
Crème de banane means more sugar, not cream
A label reading crème de banane promises more than the plain word liqueur. The same regulation allows "crème de" before a fruit name only where the drink carries at least 250 grams of sugar a litre, against 100 for a plain liqueur. Giffard’s Banane du Brésil, made by slow maceration of bananas, mostly from Brazil, with natural banana flavourings and a hint of cognac, is 25%.
Banana in a drink: the liqueur, the crème and the fruit (minimums from Regulation (EC) No 110/2008; the typical strength and uses are ours)
Banana liqueur
- Strength
- At least 15%, usually about 20%
- Sugar
- At least 100 g/L
- What it brings
- Banana aroma and sweetness
- Our drinks
- Rum Runner, Banana Daiquiri, Banana Calling
Crème de banane
- Strength
- At least 15%
- Sugar
- At least 250 g/L
- What it brings
- The same, sweeter and thicker
- Our drinks
- Any recipe asking for banana liqueur
Fresh banana
- Strength
- None
- Sugar
- The fruit’s own
- What it brings
- Body and a fresh note when blended
- Our drinks
- Banana Daiquiri, beside the liqueur
| Form | Strength | Sugar | What it brings | Our drinks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Banana liqueur | At least 15%, usually about 20% | At least 100 g/L | Banana aroma and sweetness | Rum Runner, Banana Daiquiri, Banana Calling |
| Crème de banane | At least 15% | At least 250 g/L | The same, sweeter and thicker | Any recipe asking for banana liqueur |
| Fresh banana | None | The fruit’s own | Body and a fresh note when blended | Banana Daiquiri, beside the liqueur |
Fresh fruit and liqueur do different jobs, which is why the frozen Banana Daiquiri takes both. The banana gives body; the liqueur gives a cooked, concentrated sweetness the fruit lacks.
Some bottles taste of pear drops for a reason
The smell most people read as banana comes largely from one compound, isoamyl acetate, which PubChem lists with a banana-like and a pear-like odour. A ripe banana carries it among many other aromas. A liqueur built on that compound alone tastes of sweets; one made from purée or a banana distillate tastes of fruit. The ingredients list on the back label is the quickest way to tell them apart.
A small measure goes a long way
In the Rum Runner, 15ml sits with blackberry liqueur, two rums and three juices; in the Banana Calling, 10ml rounds a gin and fino sour without announcing itself. Rum, especially aged or Jamaican rum, is the usual partner, and lime is what holds the sweetness back. When it joins a drink that already has syrup, take some syrup out.
Using Banana Liqueur
Usage
Our recipes pour 10 to 15ml: 15ml in the Rum Runner and the frozen Banana Daiquiri, 10ml in the Banana Calling with gin and fino. At that measure it sweetens and scents the drink, so the syrup or grenadine beside it stays small.
Pro Tip
If a banana drink tastes of sweets, swap the bottle before rewriting the spec. A liqueur built on fruit purée or a banana distillate gives the same sweetness with a riper, rounder banana, and the rest of the recipe usually needs no change.
Top Tips
- Read the ingredients before the name. A bottle listing banana, or a banana distillate, tastes of fruit; one listing only flavouring often tastes of pear drops.
- Count it as sugar. When banana liqueur goes into a sour, take some syrup out rather than adding the full measure on top.
- Pair it with something dark or sharp: aged rum, gin with fino, or a squeeze of lime all stop it reading as a sweet.
- Keep the cap tight and the bottle out of the sun. The aroma fades before anything else changes.
Possible Substitutions
- Banana: Muddled fresh: less stable, more texture
Production Method
Produced by infusing or distilling banana flavour into a neutral spirit base, then sweetening and blending to achieve balance. Premium versions rely on natural banana extracts rather than synthetic flavouring.
More to explore
Common Questions
What is banana liqueur?
Does banana liqueur go bad?
How strong is banana liqueur?
Is crème de banane the same as banana liqueur?
Why does some banana liqueur taste artificial?
What cocktails use banana liqueur?
What can I use instead of banana liqueur?
Sources.
Checked between 16 October and 19 October 2026.
- legislation.gov.uk, “Regulation (EC) No 110/2008, Annex II (retained)”.
- Giffard, “Banane du Brésil” (producer’s product page (25%)).
- PubChem (National Library of Medicine), “Isoamyl Acetate” (primary reference database: odour listed as banana-like and pear-like (Experimental Properties, Odor); “Banana Oil” among the synonyms; used as a pear flavour in mineral waters and syrups).
Made with Banana Liqueur
Featured In These Cocktails
Often Used With
Updated 19 October 2026