A grasshopper is a sweet, mint-flavored, after-dinner alcoholic drink named for its green color, which comes from
crème de menthe
Crème de menthe (, French for "mint cream") is a sweet, mint-flavored alcoholic beverage. It is available commercially in a colorless version (called "white") and a green version (colored by the mint leaves or by added coloring if made from ext ...
. Tujague's, a bar in the
French Quarter
The French Quarter, also known as the (; ; ), is the oldest neighborhood in the city of New Orleans. After New Orleans () was founded in 1718 by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, the city developed around the ("Old Square" in English), a ...
of
New Orleans
New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...
,
Louisiana
Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...
, claims its owner Philip Guichet invented the drink in 1918. The drink gained popularity during the 1950s and 1960s throughout the
American South
The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, Dixieland, or simply the South) is census regions United States Census Bureau. It is between the Atlantic Ocean and the ...
.
Composition
A typical grasshopper cocktail is equal parts green
crème de menthe
Crème de menthe (, French for "mint cream") is a sweet, mint-flavored alcoholic beverage. It is available commercially in a colorless version (called "white") and a green version (colored by the mint leaves or by added coloring if made from ext ...
, white
crème de cacao, and cream shaken with ice and strained into a chilled cocktail glass.
Variations
A "vodka" or "flying" grasshopper replaces the cream with
vodka
Vodka ( ; is a clear distilled beverage, distilled alcoholic beverage. Its varieties originated in Poland and Russia. Vodka is composed mainly of water and ethanol but sometimes with traces of impurities and flavourings. Traditionally, it is ...
.
A "frozen" grasshopper adds mint ice cream to create a more dessert-like drink.
An "after eight" adds a layer of dark chocolate liqueur to the crème de menthe, crème de cacao and cream.
In the North Central United States, especially Wisconsin, grasshoppers are blended drinks, with ice cream substituted for cream. A related variation is the "grasshopper milkshake", which contains
mint chocolate chip ice cream
Ice cream is a frozen dessert typically made from milk or cream that has been flavoured with a sweetener, either sugar or an alternative, and a spice, such as Chocolate, cocoa or vanilla, or with fruit, such as strawberries or peaches. Food ...
,
milk
Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of lactating mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfeeding, breastfed human infants) before they are able to digestion, digest solid food. ...
, and crème de menthe. This is blended and served in a tall glass decorated with a miniature or broken cream-filled chocolate
sandwich cookie
A sandwich cookie ( US and Canada), also known as a sandwich biscuit ( UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa), is a type of cookie made from two cookies with a filling between them. Typically the hard, thin cookies known as biscu ...
.
A "
Girl Scout
A Scout, Boy Scout, Girl Scout or, in some countries, a Pathfinder is a participant in the Scout Movement, usually aged 10–18 years, who engage in learning scoutcraft and outdoor and other special interest activities. Some Scout organization ...
Cookie" substitutes
peppermint schnapps for crème de menthe.
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"
which is akin to a
milkshake
A milkshake (sometimes simply called a shake) is a sweet beverage made by blending milk, ice cream, and flavorings or sweeteners such as butterscotch, caramel sauce, chocolate syrup, or fruit syrup into a thick, sweet, cold mixture. It may ...
.
See also
*
List of cocktails
A cocktail is a mixed drink typically made with a distilled beverage, distilled liquor (such as arrack, brandy, cachaça, gin, rum, tequila, vodka, or Whisky, whiskey) as its base ingredient that is then mixed with other ingredients or garnishme ...
References
External links
*
{{Mint
Cocktails with chocolate liqueur
Cocktails with liqueur
Cocktails with ice cream
Creamy cocktails
Three-ingredient cocktails
New Orleans cocktails
Mint drinks