Grasshopper Cocktail - 2 Ways! Classic and Blended with Ice Cream

Ingredients for this recipe

• Crème de Menthe – a mint liqueur available at most liquor stores, you’ll recognize it for its bright green color
• Crème de Cacao – a chocolate-scented liqueur made from cocoa beans that’s just delightful
• Heavy Cream – full-fat dairy is a signature of this digestif
• Whipped Cream and Chocolate Shavings – to garnish, if you feel so inclined

How to make a grasshopper cocktail

1. Add the ingredients to a cocktail shaker. That’s filled with ice.
2. Shake it up. Until well chilled, about ten seconds.
3. Strain into a glass. Traditionally, the grasshopper is served up in a coupe or martini glass.

What is a grasshopper cocktail?

Developed by New Orleans bartender Philibert Guichet in 1918, the grasshopper is a classic digestif (that means “after dinner drink”) that’s been popular on restaurant menus for over a century.

Philibert developed the cocktail for a competition in NYC in 1918 and won second place. He took the drink back to the bar he worked at in NOLA, Tujague, that still serves his recipe to this day. What a legacy!

Making a blended grasshopper drink

While the original grasshopper cocktail was developed in the South, we Midwesterners got ahold of it decades ago and, of course, added more dairy.

The most common way I see grasshoppers offered in restaurants in Wisconsin is as a boozy milkshake made with vanilla ice cream.

To make an ice cream grasshopper add 2 scoops of vanilla bean ice cream to a blender, followed by crème de menthe and crème de cacao and blend until smooth. Serve with whipped cream and a cherry to garnish, if desired.

Big Batch Blended Grasshoppers

Every New Year’s Eve our family toasts to the new year with a big, blended batch of grasshoppers. Here’s how to make enough ice cream grasshoppers for a group of four:

• Add 8 scoops (about 4 cups) of vanilla ice cream to a blender.
• Add ¾ cup of crème de menthe and ¾ cup of crème de cacao.
• Blend until smooth.
• If necessary, add a splash of heavy cream to make it blend easier.
• Serve in tall glasses garnished with whipped cream and maraschino cherries.

Ingredient Substitutions

• Crème de Menthe – Crème de menthe is a liqueur made from grain alcohol infused with mint, not unlike peppermint schnapps. You need the green version to get the classic bright green color in this drink, but they also make a clear, uncolored version that will add the same flavor if it’s all you can find.

• Crème de Cacao – also a grain alcohol that’s been infused, this time with cocoa beans that has a light, sweet chocolate flavor. This liqueur also comes in a clear version! I use brown, but you can use clear if that’s what you have.

• Heavy Cream – if you don’t have heavy cream on hand, you can use half & half or whole milk if you’re desperate. I don’t recommend using 2% or skim milk, as they will be too watery for this drink.

• Grasshopper Ice Cream – if you want to have a one-step drink recipe, you can blend up a few scoops of my no-church grasshopper ice cream for a super quick and fun cocktail!