By Mike Armstrong
A green drink is not usually taken seriously by serious cocktail drinkers. However, there is a green drink which has celebrated its 100th birthday and has a bit of history.
It is the Grasshopper.
This green cocktail is credited to being created at Tujuague’s in New Orleans. It is traceable because the drink was invented in a competition.
Philibert Guichet Jr. invented the cocktail for a contest at the New Orleans venue but it seems the date is a little fuzzy. No earlier than 1919 but not later than 1921.
The basic recipe for the drink itself is easy to make and remember.
One part green crème de menthe—the usual recipe is about 1 1/2 to 2 ounces of the liqueur.
One part white crème de cacao—the same ounces as above, although it should be noted white crème de cacao is getting harder to find in liquor stores.
One part cream- this can be substituted with milk or half and half.
When I worked at the Hotel Wolf’s bar one summer many years back, as the new bartender, I found myself making the ice cream drinks which were extremely popular at dinner time. If my buddy Jimmy Campbell was bartending, it was a given, that I would be the one making the drink. He would even give me a diabolical laugh as he would give me the ticket which would say Brandy Alexander or Grasshopper.
It was not a fun drink to make because it took some time to get together, but I have to admit, I am a fan of the Grasshopper ice cream version, no matter its troublesome nature. I don’t even really like mint, but this drink goes down way too easy and I admire it tastes so delicious.
It really is a desert.
I can’t be sure this is the recipe the Hotel Wolf uses exactly, but when I have had my restaurants this is how I trained my bartenders to make it.
I put in two scoops of vanilla ice cream (the creamier the better) about two ounces of milk or cream and 21/2 ounces of both cream de menthe and crème de cacao. Both are low-alcohol liqueurs so the total 5 ounces in the ice cream drink is not as potent as say the Long Island Ice Tea.
And dang, if it is not good. The ice cream version seldom has any left over when the empty glass is retrieved.
The regular version does sometimes have leftover remnants because it is fairly sweet and not everyone is ready for that.
I do find it funny because a Grasshopper can be served on the rocks or made like a martini in a shaker. It enjoyed a little fame as a martini when flavored martinis were big back in the late 1990s.
If the drink is made in a shaker with ice and shaken well, it will come out frothy. It can be garnished with chocolate curls. A perfect look for a martini back in those days.
Maybe a green creamy-looking drink doesn’t look like it must have much of a pedigree or history, but think again, the Grasshopper cocktail does.
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