The Grasshopper is the iconic American mint cream cocktail: equal parts green crème de menthe, white crème de cacao, and heavy cream, shaken hard until the cocktail is a uniform pale mint-green and slightly foamy. The drink is credited to Philip Guichet Sr., owner of Tujague's bar in New Orleans's French Quarter, who reportedly created it around 1919 and brought it to a New York cocktail competition in 1928, where it won second place. Tujague's, which opened in 1856, is the second-oldest bar in New Orleans and has served the Grasshopper continuously since.
A dessert in a glass, dressed as a cocktail. Tujague's has been serving it since the year my grandfather was born.
Philip Guichet and Tujague's
Tujague's (pronounced "too-jacks") opened in New Orleans's French Quarter in 1856 — older than Pat O'Brien's, second only to Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop in age among the city's continuously operating bars. Guichet bought the bar from the original Tujague family in 1914 and ran it through the Prohibition era and after. The Grasshopper, his signature cocktail, was reportedly created around 1919 — though the date of around 1919 is the family's claim, not independently documented. The 1928 New York competition placement is the first widely-documented public appearance.
The cocktail's name is straightforward: the finished drink is a pale grasshopper-green, a visually distinctive color in a glass. The form (cream + spirit + liqueur) is a Brandy Alexander variant, but the all-liqueur base (no actual spirit weight) and the bright mint character distinguish it. Tujague's still serves the original recipe and identifies itself with the drink to this day.
The Spec
Equal parts — one ounce each — of green crème de menthe, white crème de cacao, and heavy cream. Shaken hard with ice (15 seconds, longer than a standard cocktail shake to fully emulsify the cream), double-strained into a chilled coupe. No garnish in the original; a sprig of mint or a dusting of grated chocolate is the modern flourish.
Crème de Menthe — Green and Real
The mint is what makes the cocktail. Tempus Fugit, Giffard, or Marie Brizard make actual mint-flavored liqueurs with real character; Hiram Walker and DeKuyper make the artificial-green sugar-syrup version. The real product is more expensive ($25-30 per bottle), but the difference is the difference between mint chocolate chip ice cream and a green Jolly Rancher. Don't substitute clear crème de menthe — the cocktail's color is half the point.
Heavy Cream, Not Substitute
Whole milk produces a thin cocktail that doesn't emulsify properly; half-and-half is acceptable but reads weaker. The cocktail wants the body that only heavy cream provides — the shake should produce a small pale foam on top that holds for a minute or two. Vegetable creamer or oat milk break the cocktail entirely; the recipe relies on dairy fat structure.
Shake Long
Twelve to fifteen seconds of hard shaking. The cream needs to fully emulsify into the rest of the cocktail or the drink will separate in the glass. A standard 8-second shake is not enough for this drink.
Bottom Line
The Grasshopper is unambiguously a dessert. It belongs at the end of a meal, paired with chocolate or eaten as the only dessert on its own. Made with real crème de menthe and real cream it is one of the more genuinely satisfying American cream cocktails; made with the artificial green stuff it is a Christmas-themed Jolly Rancher. The cocktail is at least as good as its reputation if you invest in the right bottles; weaker than its reputation if you don't.