The King Kong - A Summer Old Fashioned

A modern bourbon cocktail created by Sam Ross that drinks like an Old Fashioned with a tropical edge. A split base of high-proof bourbon and funky Jamaican rum is sweetened with banana liqueur, seasoned with Angostura bitters, and finished with expressed lemon oil. Spirit-forward but easy enough for warm weather sipping.

smart_display Published 2026-05-29 download Extracted 2026-06-05

5m Prep

5m Total

1 Servings

cocktail bourbon rum old-fashioned spirit-forward summer sam-ross banana no-cook

Ingredients

1.5 oz bonded 100-proof bourbon (Old Grand-Dad Bonded recommended; high-rye, higher proof)
0.5 oz Jamaican rum (high-proof, funky; Smith & Cross recommended)
0.5 oz banana liqueur (Giffard Banane du Bresil recommended)
3 dashes Angostura bitters (or 6 half-dashes)
for garnish lemon peel (expressed over the drink, then used as garnish)

Steps

1

In a mixing glass, combine 1.5 oz bourbon, 0.5 oz Jamaican rum, and 0.5 oz banana liqueur.

Tip: It is a split base: three parts bourbon to one part rum keeps the funky rum in balance.

~1 min
2

Add 3 dashes of Angostura bitters (or 6 half-dashes).
3

Add ice and stir until well chilled and properly diluted.

~1 min
4

Grab a chilled rocks glass and drop in one large cube or chunk of ice.

Tip: A big cube dilutes slowly, letting the drink mellow over time.
5

Strain the cocktail into the glass over the ice.
6

Express lemon oil across the top and sides of the drink, then garnish with the lemon peel.

Tip: Curl the peel so it resembles a banana peel for the King Kong theme.

Nutrition (per serving)

230

Calories

Carbs

Cultural Context

The King Kong was created in 2015 by acclaimed bartender Sam Ross at Attaboy in New York City. Ross, who learned his craft alongside cocktail legends Sasha Petraske and Audrey Saunders, is also responsible for modern classics like the Paper Plane and the Penicillin. The King Kong reimagines the Old Fashioned as a split-base drink: three parts bourbon to one part funky Jamaican rum, modified with banana liqueur instead of simple syrup. Anders Erickson notes the drink is named for the tropical, jungle-like character the rum and banana bring, and that the curl of expressed lemon peel garnish is meant to evoke a banana peel.