Grasshopper Cocktails Are A Total Game-Changer This Holiday Season

We know you've heard this one before (via Capital Gazette). A grasshopper walks into a bar, and the bartender says, "Hey, we have a drink named after you!" The grasshopper says, "You have a drink named Steve?"

If you live somewhere that's cold, Steve and his buddies aren't around this time of year (via Reference). But his namesake drink lives on. Why is the grasshopper so popular around the holidays? For one thing, the drink is green, and that's half the Christmas color palette right there. Tablespoon has a grasshopper recipe that brings a red accent to the cocktail, using red food coloring and Magic Shell ice cream topping. But we find doing all that extra work around the holidays isn't necessary. After all, the grasshopper's color isn't the only thing that gives it that holiday vibe.

The grasshopper is easy to make, and easy is good around the holidays. The drink is made up of three ingredients: equal parts half-and-half or heavy cream, crème de menthe, and creme de cacao (via Julie's Eats and Treats). The combination of minty, chocolatey, and creamy is perfect for the holidays. It's a decadent after-dinner cocktail you can enjoy without guilt – because hey, it's the holidays, and you deserve to treat yourself. It's a chocolate Santa melted with a candy cane and infused with booze and cream.

Eggnog and mulled wine might come to mind first when you're thinking of alcoholic holiday beverages, but grasshoppers are a game-changer. Some people don't like eggnog because it's raw eggs and milk, overloaded with sugar and alcohol to make it palatable (via BuzzFeed). Some people don't like mulled wine because why would you put all that crazy stuff – oranges, nutmeg, star anise – into perfectly good red wine and then serve it hot (via Food & Wine)? People might smile and nod if you hand them a glass of eggnog or a mug of mulled wine because they want to be polite and not spoil all the good cheer the holidays are supposed to bring. But if you hand them a grasshopper, people will mean it when they smile because what's not to like about creamy, chocolatey mint?

If you're lucky, your host might serve what's essentially a grasshopper milkshake. It's called a Midwestern-style grasshopper, and it makes the leap from after-dinner drink to dessert (via An Affair from the Heart). This frozen grasshopper couldn't be any easier: vanilla ice cream, crème de menthe, and creme de cacao in a blender. No wine to mull, no eggs to whip. And the only guests who will turn up their noses will be those who don't like Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies because that's what they taste like (via Bonnie Projects). In other words, everyone will be happy.