Grasshopper
Grasshopper
Equipment
- Shaker
- Jigger
- Strainer
- Cocktail Glass
Ingredients
- 1 oz Crème de Menthe (30ml)
- 1 oz Crème de Cacao (30ml)
- 2 oz Heavy Cream (60ml)
- 1/8 Teaspoon Sea Salt
- 1 Sprig Mint (for garnish)
- Ice
Instructions
- Add the crème de menthe, crème de cacao, heavy cream, and salt into a shaker.
- Fill the shaker with ice.
- Shake vigorously for a minute, allowing some of the ice to melt.
- Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
- Garnish with mint.
Notes
Grasshopper: The World of dessert cocktails
The Grasshopper is a wonderful entry into the world of dessert cocktails. It’s easy enough to build at home, doesn’t really require much in the way of ingredients, and the equipment needed is all standard. So if you are making cocktails at home, you should have all this stuff already.
If not, pick up a set here on US Amazon (Amazon Japan) and start making some cocktails.
If you’re completely new to making cocktails, check out our beginners post for Getting Started.
One of the best things about the Grasshopper cocktail is how versatile it is. You can dress it so many different ways. You can go with the traditional mint leaves as a garnish, of you dust the surface with coco powder. Garnish with a Tim Tam or Kit Kat.
You can full the nine yards and turn this drink into a full dessert by adding a scoop of vanilla ice cream. If you plan on doing, I’ve had the best results by add the ice cream to the glass first, then gently pouring the cocktail over it. Be mindful of the speed, as if you go to fast you’ll splatter the cocktail on the sides and rim.
Rimming
If you want to get super fancy, you could do a chocolate rim. Put some unsweetened cocoa powder in a plate or bowl. Moisten the rim of the glass with an orange segment or simple syrup, and roll the rim in the cocoa powder.
It seems pretty simple, but it takes a bit of practice to get good at doing it.
Do note; the drink is already sweet enough, so make sure you use unsweetened cocoa. Easy enough to find at any super market or online.
Using the right Ingredients
It’s easy to cheap out on liqueur. Conventional thinking might have you believing that the cheap stuff will taste the same as the expensive brands. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Don’t fall into this trap. The cheap stuff will taste thin, and overly sweet. While the more expensive alternatives will have a far more robust flavor, and tasting sweet is a subtle, natural way. It’s a beginners trap to opt for the cheapest liqueurs, and you’ll be sorry when your cocktails turn out lackluster.
This cocktail also calls for heavy cream. Don’t make the mistake of using half & half or milk. They won’t give the same texture. Cream has an almost silken texture from the fat content, which will make the Grasshopper very smooth. You won’t get that rich creaminess with milk or half & half. Even if you’re planning to add vanilla ice cream, you should still use heavy cream.
You need some ‘cool‘ music to have anything mint related.