Classic Grasshopper Drink

Stunning in mint green, the classic Grasshopper drink will be the star of dinner parties and holiday festivities. This creamy mint chocolate dessert cocktail is simple to make yet will stun guests.

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Grasshopper Drink recipe

Dessert cocktails are the best way to impress friends at a dinner party or elevate your holiday celebrations.

When people think the meal is over, a sweet little drink do enjoy with (or as) dessert will surprise everyone.

The Grasshopper cocktail fits the bill beautifully. It’s a creamy mint chocolate cocktail with a gorgeous green color. It tastes just like a boozy Andes Mint!

Love dessert cocktails? Don’t miss these after-dinner drinks!

Why you’ll love this recipe

If you like mint chocolate chip ice cream, you’ll LOVE this cocktail!

• With only three ingredients, the Grasshopper is easy to make.
• This delicious cocktail bears a beautiful color that your friends will gush over.
• The flavor is chocolate mint, like a peppermint patty, making it perfect for the holidays.

You can serve Grasshoppers any time of year, but they are most popular at Christmastime. Its pastel green color is perfect for St. Patrick’s Day, too!

What is a grasshopper drink?

Grasshoppers are a creamy, pastel-colored, after-dinner drink made with heavy cream, crème de menthe and crème de cacao.

Crème de menthe is a green, mint-flavored liqueur and crème de cacao is chocolate liqueur. Together with cream, they create a mint chocolate-flavored drink that’s mint green in color.

This cocktail dates back to the pre-Prohibition era and a 1919 New York City cocktail contest, according to The Essential Bar Book by Jennifer Fiedler. Philibert Guichet, the owner of Tujague’s in the French Quarter of New Orleans, won second place for his grasshopper cocktail recipe.

However, it became popular again in the mid-century, especially in the South, as a sweet dessert drink.

Ingredients

The Grasshopper is a three-ingredient cocktail. You can pick up the ingredients for this easy drink between the liquor store and the grocery store.

Crème de menthe

Crème de menthe is a sweet liqueur with mint flavor. You can find it wherever you buy alcohol.

You can find it in both clear and green colors, but you will want the pretty green version so your grasshopper cocktail winds up with that pretty mint green hue.

Crème de cacao

Similarly, crème de cacao is a sweet, chocolate-flavored liqueur. It comes in a clear version and a dark brown color.

You will want to pick up the clear version, called white crème de cacao, so it doesn’t interfere with the pretty green color of the crème de menthe.

Heavy cream

For the dairy component of this delicious cocktail, you can use either heavy whipping cream or half-and-half.

Heavy cream would give your cocktail a thick texture and half-and-half would be a bit thinner but is still nice and creamy when shaken with the other ingredients.

Feel free to choose non-dairy milk such as oat milk, soy milk, coconut milk or almond milk if you need a dairy-free option.

How to make a Grasshopper drink

Making this dessert drink is so simple and only takes a few minutes.

First, grab your cocktail shaker and fill it with ice cubes. Add the crème de cacao, crème de menthe and heavy cream.

Cover and shake vigorously. Keep at it, because you want the cream to wind up with a lovely, thick, slightly whipped texture.

Pour it into a coupe glass or martini glass, then garnish it with chocolate shavings and a cookie stick.

To make chocolate shavings, grate a chocolate bar on a Microplane or chop it finely.

Grasshopper garnish ideas

To top off the cocktail, you might go for some chocolate to finish it off. When you garnish a cocktail, it can make the drink feel more professional and impress your guests.

Here are a few ideas to try. I say make it your own!

• Chocolate Pocky (Japanese chocolate-covered biscuit sticks)
• Thin Mints (Girl Scout cookies)
• chocolate shavings
• cookie crumbs
• chocolate sprinkle rim
• Oreo crumb rim
• crushed candy cane rim
• chocolate syrup drizzled on the side of the glass
• mint leaves

Variations and substitutions

Frozen grasshopper: The frozen grasshopper is made with vanilla ice cream. You can make it in advance and scoop it out to share with guests as a boozy dessert (or swap the vanilla ice cream for mint chocolate chip and omit the booze for a non-alcoholic option). Serve it with a float of crème de menthe on top for an extra gorgeous presentation.

Grasshopper milkshake: Put all the ingredients except the cream in a blender with several scoops of ice cream for an icy treat.

Flying Grasshopper: Add 1 part vodka to create a Frozen Flying Grasshopper cocktail. You can use plain vodka or vanilla vodka.

More dessert cocktails

• Tiramisu Martini
• White Russian
• Amarula Brandy Alexander
• Sugar Cookie Martini
• Peppermint White Chocolate Martini
• Boozy Mint Chocolate Milkshakes