Creme de banane liqueur
CoreFrance (Giffard / Marie Brizard / Tempus Fugit), Netherlands (Bols / De Kuyper), Brazil (banana sourcing for premium products)
Tasting Notes
Fresh ripe banana, banana peel, vanilla, caramel, brown sugar, tropical fruit overlap, slight green note (in quality versions). Quality versions: genuine banana aroma, overripe sweetness balanced by a slight bitterness, vanilla orchid. Cheap versions: isoamyl acetate (banana Runts candy), one-note synthetic sweetness, no complexity. If it smells like a banana Laffy Taffy, it's cheap. If it smells like a ripe banana on your counter, it's good.
Brand Guide
DeKuyper Creme de Banana ($10-14, artificial banana candy, gets the job done for frozen drinks)
Bols Banana ($14-18, slightly better but still synthetic-leaning)
Giffard Banane du Bresil ($22-28, real banana character, Brazilian fruit, the cocktail-bar standard)
Tempus Fugit Creme de Banane ($30-38, distilled banana, complex, historical recipe — this is banana liqueur for people who care). The well-to-premium jump in banana liqueur is the largest quality improvement in the entire liqueur category