Classic Grasshopper Cocktail Recipe

The grasshopper cocktail is like an After Eight Chocolate in cocktail form. Sweet, minty, creamy and indulgent, it's a great after-dinner drink that can substitute any dessert.

According to Ksenia Prints of At the Immigrant's Table, the Grasshopper Cocktail originated in Tujague's restaurant in New Orleans. The famous Creole restaurant first served this drink sometime after 1918 when mixologist Philibert Guichet, whose family owned the restaurant, invented the drink for a cocktail competition. 

The drink was dubbed the grasshopper due to its bright green color, and it soon became a hit at the crowded establishment. Today, you can serve the cocktail any time you are in the mood for a sugary, smooth, and delicious minty dessert sipper.

To make this classic old-timey cocktail, stock up on a couple of specialty ingredients.

Green crème de menthe liqueur is a fluorescent green, sweet liqueur that tastes like the world's most potent peppermint candy.

The second base liquor in this drink is crème de cacao. Traditionally, to maintain the light green color of this drink, the Grasshopper was made with white crème de cacao, a transparent liqueur that tastes like chocolate. However, as this ingredient can be harder to trace, Prints tested the cocktail with regular crème de cacao and can attest that while the color is a tad duller, the flavor is all the same.

The other non-alcoholic ingredient in this drink is heavy whipping cream, which you can get at any supermarket. Our preferred garnish is an elegant green mint sprig, but it isn't entirely necessary.

A chilled glass will improve the taste and texture of your cocktail, and it's much easier to prepare than you imagine.

Chill a martini or a coupe glass by placing it in the freezer. Alternatively, if you forgot to do it or have a packed freezer, fill your glass with ice and let it stand for 5 minutes.

Fill a shaker with ice. Add crème de menthe, crème de cacao, and whipping cream to the shaker.

You must work relatively quickly at this stage because waiting can curdle your cream. Shake the cocktail in the shaker until it is well-chilled, about 30 seconds. Pour the cocktail through a strainer into your pre-chilled martini or coupe glass.

The next stage is optional, but it makes the drink look more elegant, so Prints suggests you try it.

Top the coupe or martini glass with a perfectly formed mint sprig. This stage, albeit simple-sounding, can get tricky: Because the cream is heavy, the mint can sink into the glass if you touch it too much or push too hard. "Try to lay the mint sprig gently along the edge of the glass, supporting it with the rim. This will give you that perfectly placed, perky little garnish you see in photos," she recommends.

Serve the Grasshopper cocktail immediately upon making it. If you prepare the cocktail in advance, store it in the fridge until ready to serve. Prints warns, "Leaving it outside will warm up the cream and can even lead to the drink curdling or separating."