Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Food & Drink
  3. Evergreens

The grasshopper drink is a retro blast from the past — this is how to make it

You'll want to make this boozy, minty cocktail

By
Grasshopper
Kike Salazar N/Unsplash

To quote Jonathan Swift, “Everything old is new again.” This is true when it comes to fashion from the 90s, vinyl records, and, of course, cocktails. While we love a great contemporary cocktail (like the Penicillin), nothing beats the classics.

We enjoy sipping a well-made Old Fashioned, Manhattan, Margarita, or Mojito early and often. But sometimes, we want to imbibe a classic drink that doesn’t get as much acclaim as the aforementioned mixed drinks. Today, it’s the beloved Grasshopper’s turn.

Recommended Videos

What is a Grasshopper?

grasshopper cocktail
Brent Hofacker / Shutterstock

Well, a grasshopper is an insect, but that won’t help you very much when it comes to this cocktail as (luckily) the drink doesn’t contain any insect parts. It’s also a minty, chocolate, and fudge-filled ice cream.

If the latter is how you imagine the cocktail, you’re on the right path. This dessert-like, after-dinner drink tastes like a fresh, boozy mint. This is thanks to the addition of crème de menthe, Crème de cacao, and fresh cream. If you think a White Russian is indulgent, just wait until you try a Grasshopper.

When was the Grasshopper created?

Grasshopper
iStock

While many classic cocktails have a muddled (pun intended) or mysterious history, the Grasshopper doesn’t. This indulgent, sweet, minty, boozy dessert cocktail was created by a bartender and owner of New Orleans’ French Quarter bar, Tujague, for a cocktail competition back in 1918.

Like a lot of classic cocktails, it gained in popularity in the 50s and 60s before waning for decades. While the cocktail renaissance of the early aughts breathed new life into many classic cocktails, the Grasshopper wasn’t really included. Perhaps it’s the fact that it pretty much tastes like boozy melted ice cream. Regardless, it’s ripe for a comeback. Give it a kickstart by making this century-old drink in your home.

What you’ll need to make a Grasshopper

Grasshopper
iStock
  • 1 ounce of Crème de menthe
  • 1 ounce Crème de cacao
  • 1 ounce Fresh cream

The Grasshopper recipe steps

Grasshopper
iStock
  1. Add Crème de menthe, Crème de cacao, and fresh cream to an ice-filled cocktail shaker.
  2. Shake vigorously to combine.
  3. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
  4. Garnish with a mint leaf.

Bottom line

Mint leaves

Make no mistake, the Grasshopper isn’t an everyday cocktail. You can probably whip up a Manhattan or Old Fashioned every day and be perfectly happy. The Grasshopper, on the other hand, is more of a special occasion, dessert-type drink. It’s on par with the Mudslide, Espresso Martini, White Russian, Lemon Drop, and the Brandy Alexander.

Still, it doesn’t deserve to be among the forgotten mixed drinks lost to time. We implore you to purchase the ingredients to make it and mix it up for your friends and family. Who doesn’t love a cocktail that tastes like a combination of alcohol and melted mint ice cream, right?

Christopher Osburn
Christopher Osburn
Writer
Christopher Osburn is a food and drinks writer located in the Finger Lakes Region of New York. He’s been writing professional Read Full Bio
Topics
Food & Drink
De’Longhi reinvents its popular coffee & espresso machine with major upgrades
DeLonghi

After more than a decade as a staple in De’Longhi’s coffee lineup, the brand has revamped its iconic All-in-One Combination Coffee & Espresso Machine with some exciting new upgrades. Completely reimagined for today’s coffee routines, this new version combines drip coffee, authentic espresso, cold brew, and cold milk frothing in one machine to save counter space. Priced at $349.95, this machine does it all, letting flexible coffee drinkers enjoy multiple drink types without needing multiple appliances. The new and improved model is now more than 20% smaller than its predecessor.

De’Longhi All-in-One Combination Machine Highlights

Read more
Food & Drink
Drinking in the Rain: A New York speakeasy perfects a not-to-miss riff on an old fashioned named for Don Lockwood
don lockwood cocktail singin in the rain ep mgm

When I was a kid, I remember my mother always watching musicals. West Side Story, The Sound of Music, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, there seemed to be one on every time my mom had control of the remote. One of the ones I remember seeing and liking immediately was Singing in the Rain. Watching Gene Kelly dancing on the flooded sidewalk and swinging around a light pole while, well, singing in the rain. I hadn’t thought of that movie in a long time. Maybe decades. That was until a few weeks ago when I was on a trip to Fort Lauderdale and I heard about a cocktail called the Don Lockwood, a riff on the old fashioned named after Kelly’s character.

Now, as a huge fan of the old fashioned, I am leery of the riffs. I am the same way with pizza, burgers, and macaroni and cheese. They’re already perfect. Stop messing with them. However, when I saw the recipe, I decided to give it a shot. I went to multiple bars and restaurants and asked each one if they had heard of the cocktail and I got a lot of blank stares and shaking heads. So, when I got back to the city, I had a very clear first priority, hit Saint Tuesday in Tribeca and try their Don Lockwood.

Read more
Food & Drink
Flavors to watch in 2027: Coffee flavor trends
Latte

As the year winds down, the flavored coffee world gets extra busy. From pumpkin spice in the fall to gingerbread and pecan praline around the holidays, flavored coffee always seems to shine toward year-end. As we look ahead to 2027, Christophe Ernotte, VP of North America at La Cimbali, shares his thoughts on where beverage flavor is headed next year. From nutty, green flavors like matcha and pistachio to brighter, more acidic, citrus-forward drinks, here’s what Ernotte believes may become 2027’s hottest coffee flavor trends.

Coffee and espresso flavor trends to gain momentum

Read more