Forget the Espresso Martini. The ideal nightcap is a forgotten classic that’s making a comeback: The Grasshopper. At its most basic, this toothpaste-green cocktail is a combination of heavy cream, crème de menthe and crème de cacao. But instead of ramping caffeine levels up to 10 like its coffee cousin, this sweet dessert cocktail winds drinkers down.
“I find mint to act as a wonderful palate cleanser as well as an herb I use to decompress and relieve stress,” says Alicia Perry, beverage director of San Diego’s Consortium Holdings.
In the vein of After Eights and Andes Mints, a mint chocolate cocktail has long been a boozy way to suppress the appetite, cleanse the palate and satisfy that nagging after-dinner sweet tooth.
“I would argue that dessert cocktails are ordered more frequently than actual dessert these days,” says Anna Mains, the former national brand ambassador for Monkey Shoulder Whisky. “While it’s currently mainly coffee-type dessert cocktails, Grasshopper-inspired drinks started to pop up on top cocktail bar menus like Dante in New York and Sweet Liberty in Miami the past few years.” (A recent favorite of ours is at Dingaling in NYC’s East Village, which features oat milk.)
At bars around the world, velvety mint drinks are proving to be the perfect nighttime elixir for those who prefer to drink their calories instead of eating them. “Creamy mint adds a luxurious, refreshing twist, balancing cool and slightly sweet flavors,” says Sullivan Gouvea, head bartender at CABIN in Tokyo. “It creates a smooth mouthfeel and a flavor profile that’s both comforting and uplifting, making it a popular choice for dessert-style cocktails. There’s definitely a rising interest in mint-flavored nightcaps, especially among younger guests.”
Invented for a New York cocktail competition 106 years ago by Philibert Guichet, the owner of Tujague’s in New Orleans, The Grasshopper went on to win silver. A century later, his classic recipe is still a minty go-to, but as popularity grows, so does innovation. “That’s thanks to the wide availability of high-quality liqueurs we have today, which are completely different from the unnatural options that were your only choice 20 years ago,” Mains says.
A favorite version by drinkers and bartenders alike is Jeffrey Morgenthaler’s milkshake-style Grasshopper served at Portland, Oregon’s now-shuttered Pépé le Moko. Some even credit this 2013 ultra-decadent version for starting a Grasshopper renaissance of sorts. In his recipe, Morgenthaler trades the heavy cream for vanilla ice cream and curbs the cloying sweetness with Fernet-Branca and sea salt.
At Minnows in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, a Grasshopper is the first cocktail on the menu. The “Frozen Grasshopper” leans into its dessert distinction with whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles loaded on top. Chicago’s Sparrow labels their renowned Grasshopper as “sippable joy,” adding its house-made rum cream to the traditional ingredients.
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Coffee cocktails are more popular than ever, which means it’s the perfect time to revisit this European classicIn Austin, Texas at the Brass Poppy, they make their own crème de menthe, and, no, it’s not green. Most crème de menthe makers used food coloring to give their product that famous tinge. Instead, the Hotel Van Zandt bar uses Hanson Vodka from Sonoma County, which is distilled using grapes, giving it a light red hue. Lead bartender Curtis Janto adds fresh mint leaves and house-brewed peppermint tea with sugar to create a “minty, soft, delicate and delicious” taste.
The Dabney in Washington, D.C. also makes its own crème de menthe for a clarified version of the creamy drink. “It has the complete opposite appearance of a classic creamy Grasshopper,” says bar director Daniel Todd. “It is crystal clear but has a luscious mouthfeel. It’s unexpectedly bright and refreshing because a ton of fresh mint goes into the house-made crème de menthe. The familiar combination of mint and chocolate eases you out of a large meal.”
And others are keeping things simple. At No. 27 Bar & Lounge inside Dublin’s iconic hotel, The Shelbourne, bartenders are noticing a rise in crème de menthe over crushed ice after dinner. “Mint has such a relaxing aroma to it, exactly what you need in a nightcap to prepare for a restful sleep,” says The Shelbourne bartender Micheal Lovette. “Creamy mint makes everything you drink feel like a dessert. And who doesn’t love dessert?”
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