Grasshopper (cocktail)

A grasshopper is a sweet, mint-flavored, after-dinner alcoholic drink named for its green color, which comes from crème de menthe. Tujague's, a bar in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana, claims its owner Philip Guichet invented the drink in 1918.^[1] The drink gained popularity during the 1950s and 1960s throughout the American South.

Grasshopper

IBA official cocktail
Type	Cocktail
Base spirit	Crème de cacao Crème de menthe
Served	Straight up: chilled, without ice
Standard drinkware	Cocktail glass
IBA specified ingredients†	3 cl crème de menthe (green) 3 cl crème de cacao (white) 3 cl cream
Preparation	Pour ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake briskly and then strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
Commonly served	After dinner
† Grasshopper recipe at International Bartenders Association

Composition

A typical grasshopper cocktail is equal parts green crème de menthe, white crème de cacao, and cream shaken with ice and strained into a chilled cocktail glass.^[2]

Variations

A "vodka" or "flying" grasshopper replaces the cream with vodka.^[3]

A "frozen" grasshopper adds mint ice cream to create a more dessert-like drink.^[4]

An "after eight" adds a layer of dark chocolate liqueur to the crème de menthe, crème de cacao and cream.^[5]

In the North Central United States, especially Wisconsin, grasshoppers are blended drinks, with ice cream substituted for cream.^[6] A related variation is the "grasshopper milkshake", which contains mint chocolate chip ice cream, milk, and crème de menthe. This is blended and served in a tall glass decorated with a miniature or broken cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookie.^[7]

A "Girl Scout Cookie" substitutes peppermint schnapps for crème de menthe.^[8]

In celebrating the 85th anniversary of the snack food, Hostess released a cooking book of recipes using Twinkies. One of the recipes is called a "Twinkie grasshopper"^[9] which is akin to a milkshake.

See also

• List of cocktails