Thirsty Thursday - Dirty Monkey

I might start doing an occasional feature where I share drink recipes.  Now I'm not going to go mixing up new alcoholic beverages mid-week on a regular basis, as that may have unwanted side effects (working hungover is not fun).  I will, however, share some good ones that I have in my repertoire already, some of which are my own creation.  I might even expand the selection to homemade smoothies and juices.  We'll see where this goes.

A co-worker of mine recently came back from a cruise and told us her drink of choice while down there was something called a "Dirty Monkey".  From her description (frozen, brown, and yellow) I deduced that it must be some sort of chocolate-banana based drink (makes sense, right?). Yes, I just used the word "deduced".  I just finished watching season 3 of Sherlock, and now I can't wait for the next season!  But I digress...I looked for a "dirty monkey" recipe online, but every recipe I found was a little different, so I decided to take the idea and make my own.

Dirty Monkey

Makes 2 servings

• 1 banana
• 2 shots of rum (I used spiced rum)
• 1 shot of kahlua (coffee liqueur)
• 1 shot of Coco Real (a squeezable bottle of coconut cream that I was recently introduced to)
• 2 cups of ice (approximately, use your judgement here)
• Hershey's syrup

Mix all ingredients except chocolate syrup in a blender; blend well, until smooth.  Squirt chocolate syrup around the inside of the glasses you are going to serve in.  Pour blended mixture into glasses.  Serve with a straw, and garnish as desired.

It looks...dirty

Not bad!  The chocolate and banana flavors were prominent, with a hint of coconut, and coffee to cut the sweetness a little.  The alcohol was not very noticeable, but I did feel it by the time I finished the drink. The recipe could easily be adjusted a bit to use some different types of rum, maybe even some chocolate liqueur, and there are many options for garnishing if you're not lazy like me.

The Verdict

This one is a keeper!  (Although there are other frozen drinks I would prefer over this one.)  Maybe next time I will try it with some coconut rum.  Mmmm!