Grasshopper Cocktail
Grasshopper is a great dessert cocktail for the fans of mint chocolate chip flavors. My frozen Grasshopper drink is like an adult milkshake! It’s pretty much the most fun you can have with a dessert as an adult.
Every grasshopper is a little bit different, though, and mine is especially delicious. Why? This recipe calls for vanilla ice cream and whipped cream, which make this cocktail irresistibly sweet and creamy.
Oh – and you’ll love the shaved chocolate rim that makes each sip even better than the last because you get a “bite” of chocolate with every sit!
If you’ve never had a grasshopper cocktail, you’re in for quite the treat! And if you’re already a fan of this mint and chocolate flavor combination, this simple recipe will make you love it even more.
Ingredients Tips and Substitutions
- Vanilla Ice Cream – Of all the vanilla ice creams to choose from at the grocery store, get a good quality or your absolute favorite. (Guess what, you can use Lactose Free ice cream too!!)
- Crème de Menthe – This is the key ingredient when making any grasshopper. Crème de menthe is a minty, sweet liqueur that can usually be found at any local liquor store. It comes both clear, or green colored – choose the green bottle to give the grasshopper its vibrant color!
- Crème de Cocoa – When making dessert cocktails, crème de cocoa is one of the most used liqueurs. It’s sweet and chocolate flavored, which is perfectly complimentary to the minty crème de menthe.
How To Make A Grasshopper Cocktail
- The steps to whipping up a grasshopper cocktail are smooth and simple – just like the drink itself. All you have to do it pop it in the blender and let it do it’s job.
- To make the delicious cocktail rim: simply dip the rim of the glass into soft ice cream or chocolate syrup, then into the finely grated chocolate.
- Start by adding the vanilla ice cream to a blender.
- Next, toss in the crushed ice and the vibrant crème de menthe.
- Add the delicious creme de cocoa to the blender.
- Pour vodka into the mixture and blend, blend, blend! You want to make sure there are absolutely no chunks of ice or ice cream cream left.
- Finally, divide this dessert cocktail between two glasses and top with your choice of garnishes. Enjoy!
Variations to Try
- There are three classic garnishes I love using – whipped cream, mint sprigs, and shaved chocolate. However, you can have a little fun by adding a thin mint or peppermint patty to the top of your dessert cocktail!
- You can make these drinks kid-friendly by simply omitting the alcohol in them. (See more in the FAQs.) Once removed, this drink easily transforms from a grasshopper cocktail to a grasshopper milkshake.
- If the color is not as vibrant as you’d like it to be, you can add a few drops of green food coloring to the mixture.
- If you’re a massive mint lover, consider adding a few drops of mint extract to the cocktail mixture. Just be careful as to how many you drop in – a little goes a long way with mint extract.
Recipe FAQs
Absolutely! When parents are enjoying this dessert cocktails, kids can enjoy a non-alcoholic version as well. I always make some of these “milkshakes” for the kids.
Use the same vanilla ice cream and in addition to ice cream, add about 1/2 cups of milk, 1 cup of ice, 2-3 tablespoons of crème de menthe syrup (non-alcoholic and can be found in coffee syrups isle and mixers isle of the grocery store), and either a couple of tablespoons of chocolate syrup or a couple of ounces of a chocolate bar. Blend it all and serve.
Nope! If you don’t want to buy a whole bottle just for a few cocktails, you can simply get your favorite classic vodka and use that.
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? PLEASE leave a 🌟 star rating! Let me know how you liked it by leaving the 📝 comment below or share and tag me on social media @willcookforsmiles. DON’T FORGET to subscribe to my newsletter!
Grasshopper Cocktail Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 scoops vanilla ice cream (each scoop is approximately 1/2 cup)
- 4 oz Crème de menthe
- 3 oz Creme de cocoa
- 1 oz whipped cream or vanilla vodka
- 1 cup crushed ice
Garnish:
- whipped cream
- mint sprigs
- shaved chocolate
Instructions
- If you want to decorate the glasses with grated chocolate, do it before making and adding the cocktail to the glass.
- To decorate the glass: dip the rim of the glass into soft ice cream, chocolate syrup, or melted chocolate and then into the grated chocolate. (To make grated chocolate, you can use a fine cheese grater to grate a chocolate bar.)
- Combine ice cream, ice, Crème de menthe, Crème de cocoa, and vodka in a blender and blend until completely smooth.
- Divide the mixture between two glasses and garnish with some whipped cream and grated chocolate.
Video
Notes
- Want to make it non-alcoholic? Use the same vanilla ice cream and in addition to ice cream, add about 1/2 cups of milk, 1 cup of ice, 2-3 tablespoons of crème de menthe syrup (non-alcoholic and can be found in coffee syrups isle and mixers isle of the grocery store), and either a couple of tablespoons of chocolate syrup or a couple of ounces of a chocolate bar. Blend it all and serve.
- Lactose or dairy free: you can simply use lactose free or dairy free vanilla ice cream to make this drink. For whipped cream, you can use dairy free option available at the grocery store, like once made with coconut milk or oat milk.
Nutrition
Originally published on Will Cook For Smiles in March 2021.
More Dessert Cocktails to Try
All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe.
Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.
I made these on St. Patrick’s Day and we loved them!