When Raoul Segarra saw a recipe in the New York Times for a banana dessert, it became his inspiration for the latest liqueur at Kingfly Spirits in the Strip District.

Kingfly’s head distiller combined fresh and dried banana with hints of vanilla bean, lemon peel and sugar. The bananas undergo a slow maceration that is further enhanced with the addition of aged rum.

“I really like banana because it’s not super sweet,” said Segarra, who has a chemistry background.

He created 150 liters, so supply is limited — but he does plan to make another batch in October.

It’s available in the bottle, by itself, or in one of several cocktails such as the banana daiquiri, banana cream pie and a boulevardier. The Bananarama mixes the banana liqueur with Kingfly’s white rum, lime and mint syrup.

The banana cream pie cocktail was the idea of Kingfly general manager Noelle Natalie. It has Kingfly’s banana liqueur and vodka as well as sugar, cream and egg white.

“A lot of our liqueurs are my go-to,” Natalie said. “I think it really highlights the spirit in the banana cream pie.”

Courtesy of Kingfly Spirits A banana daquiri is one of the cocktails made with banana liqueur at Kingfly Spirits in Pittsburgh’s Strip District.  

This process began about two years ago when Segarra wanted to add a banana daiquiri to the menu, but was unhappy with the versions using of banana tinctures — bananas steeped in high-proof alcohol — made in-house. The end result, while good, lacked the complexity and aesthetics Segarra was looking for, he said.

“I wasn’t in love with any of them,” he said. “But then I saw that banana dessert recipe in the paper and turned that into a spirit.”

It launched Aug. 18.

Segarra said evolving the spirits line is challenging because Kingfly has a fairly big spirit line already. This is the 16th one.

Up next? “Tequila is on the horizon,” Segarra said.

Kingfly Spirits is located at 2613 Smallman St. in the Strip District.

---

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)

---