Grasshopper

Recipe from Dante

Adapted by Robert Simonson

Updated March 3, 2022

Grasshopper
Caitlin Ochs for The New York Times
Rating
4(88)
Comments
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The Grasshopper served at Dante, a New York City cocktail bar, is a fairly straightforward affair, calling on the crème de menthe, crème de cacao and cream demanded by the drink’s classic formula. To this, Dante adds an extra dose of both mint and chocolate flavor. The mint comes in the form of Branca Menta, the minty cousin to the Italian amaro Fernet Branca. Meanwhile, a slight shower of shaved chocolate on the drink’s surface crowns the cocktail. Be sure the crème de menthe brand you end up using is of the green variety, and not the clear. The color of the cocktail, said Linden Pride, an owner of Dante, is “part of its success story; it catches people’s attention.” —Robert Simonson

Featured in: You May Sound Silly, but Don’t Be Afraid to Order a Grasshopper

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Ingredients

Yield:1 drink
  • 1½ounces heavy cream
  • 1ounce crème de menthe, preferably Marie Brizard
  • 1ounce crème de cacao, preferably Giffard
  • ¼ounce Branca Menta
  • Ice
  • Chocolate, for garnish
Ingredient Substitution Guide
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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Combine all ingredients, except the chocolate, in a cocktail shaker half-filled with ice. Shake until chilled, about 10 seconds, and strain into a chilled coupe.

  2. Step 2

    Grate a light dusting of the chocolate over the surface of the drink.

Ratings

4 out of 5
88 user ratings
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Comments

Jenna

A grasshopper walks into a bar, and the bartender says "did you know we have a drink named after you?" And the grasshopper says, "You have a drink named Irving?" (My grandfather's name was Irving, so this was my family's favorite joke).

Kitty Wumpus

This is the most disappointing attempt at making a true grasshopper that I've tasted. I grew up on them as dessert drinks, as a dessert more than a drink. The first clue should have been that the recipe called for ice, not ice cream. I tried it hoping that somehow, just somehow, much of the pleasure of tasting a much anticipated grasshopper would come through. It did not. Toss the ice, add three generous scoops of high quality NY Vanilla, and blend. A true wonder, to be savored.

Donna

I love an excuse to break out the ice cream as much as anyone, but you are simply incorrect on this point. What you are describing is a boozy (and surely delicious) milkshake, not a grasshopper.

Jen B

My preferred variation is one part heavy cream, one part crème de menthe, and one part crème de cacao, shaken like a hundred times with ice. The extra shaking is what helps.

KTMKE

I prefer grasshoppers made in a blender, not a cocktail shaker and with vanilla ice cream, not ice and cream. It is thick and creamy like a milk shake and served with a large dollop of whipped cream on top.

Maureen

Growing up in Wisconsin, it wasn't a grasshopper if it didn't have ice cream. But, having ordered grasshoppers all over the U.S. I've learned there are regional variations. I've embraced the variations but when I'm home in WI, ice cream it is!

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Credits

Adapted from Dante New York

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