The grasshopper is a frothy green enigma. Some credit the creation of this dessert cocktail to Philibert Guichet, a tinkerer whose family purchased New Orleans’s Tujague’s bar in the 1910s. As that story goes, Guichet made the drink at a New York City cocktail competition and took home second place. Others argue that potable precursors to the grasshopper appeared in books and newspapers as early as 1874. Either way, in the middle of the 20th century, the grasshopper cocktail surged in popularity alongside similarly liqueur-laden concoctions like the stinger and the Brandy Alexander.
The specs of a “proper” grasshopper drink recipe are also disputed. Some bartenders use equal parts mint- and chocolate-flavored liqueurs; others say the classic cocktail tastes better with slightly more crème de cacao. This version uses the latter to create a rich green color and balanced mint chocolate flavors. If it skews too sweet for you, add 1 oz. vodka to the shaker tin to turn it into a flying grasshopper.
No matter how you make it, the grasshopper falls firmly in the after-dinner drink category. Garnish yours with a sprig of fresh mint to amplify the mint flavor, or top with dark chocolate shavings. Or, take a cue from Benedetti’s Supper Club in Beloit, Wisconsin, where a gargantuan frozen grasshopper is blended with several scoops of vanilla ice cream and served with a spoon.
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What you’ll need
Cocktail Coupe
$33 At Amazon
Cocktail Shaker
$23 At Amazon
Recipe information
Total Time
3 minutes
Yield
Makes 1 drink
Ingredients
Preparation
In a cocktail shaker combine 1 oz. green crème de menthe, 1½ oz. white crème de cacao, 3½ oz. heavy cream, and 1 cup ice cubes; shake well and strain the mixture into a stemmed cocktail glass.
Editor’s note: This grasshopper drink recipe was first printed in the April 2003 issue of ‘Gourmet.’ Head this way for the best cocktails you’ve never heard of →
Recipe notes
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