Dirty Monkey Banana Pnut

Dirty Monkey Banana Pnut is a flavored whiskey from Esplanda. The name points to banana and peanut as the headline flavors, so expect it to sit closer to the dessert-and-cocktail end of the whiskey aisle than to a traditional bourbon, rye or Scotch. The details we have don't specify the base whiskey, proof or age, so check the label for those. Flavored whiskeys like this usually lead with ripe banana and roasted-nut sweetness, with a rounded, caramel-leaning body underneath and little of the char, smoke or dry spice you would find in an unflavored bottle. Sweetness is the main thing to plan around. A bottle in this style is easiest to enjoy chilled or over ice, where the cold tightens the sweetness and keeps the banana from turning candy-like. Pour it over one large cube or a few standard cubes in a rocks glass, and let it sit a minute so a little dilution opens up the peanut note. Neat is worth trying first at room temperature, in a small Glencairn if you want to compare the aroma against the palate. A few drops of water are optional here, since flavored expressions often show their fruit and nut character without help. A chilled shot is another common way to serve this style. In cocktails, treat it as a sweet, flavored base instead of a swap for rye or bourbon. In an Old Fashioned, cut back or skip the sugar and keep a couple of dashes of aromatic or chocolate bitters to restore some structure. A Whiskey Sour needs a generous squeeze of lemon, because the acid balances the banana and keeps the drink from reading as syrupy. For a long drink, stir it with ginger beer or cola over ice, which is simple and works with the fruit and nut profile. A Manhattan-style stir with a drier vermouth is also worth trying. Chocolate, coffee, vanilla ice cream, and a splash of cream or milk all pair naturally with banana-and-peanut flavors.