Crème de Menthe is a mint-flavored liqueur and part of many classic cocktail recipes. It's available as a green and white version and can be made from diverse mint varieties. Our list of tasty Crème de Menthe drinks contains both - drinks made with white and green expressions.
After-dinner drinks made with Creme de Menthe are the most likely way to get acquainted with the liquor. The two most popular are the Grasshopper and the Stinger; both are excellent post-dinner cocktails.
Jump to Grasshopper | Peppermint Patty | Stinger | White Lady | Emerald Isle | Absinthe Suissesse | American Beauty
Crème de Menthe Cocktails
Grasshopper
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz White Creme de cacao
- 1.5 oz Creme de menthe
- 2 oz Heavy cream
- Shaved chocolate as garnish
The Grasshopper is a chocolate and mint-flavored dessert drinks with a creamy texture. It's rich in taste and calories, making it a perfect substitute for a dessert - rather than a drink that would go with one.
The creamy blend of chocolate and mint is no novelty but a proven flavor combination. Especially during the 1950s and 60s, this drink was famous all across the US.
Instructions: pour all ingredients into an ice-filled shaker and shake until the drink is well-chilled. Strain the content into a chilled glass. Garnish with shaved chocolate, and your minty Grasshopper drink is ready to be served.
Peppermint Patty
Ingredients:
- 6 oz Hot chocolate
- 1.5 oz Crème de Cacao
- 1.5 oz Crème de Menthe
- Garnish: Whipped cream & crushed peppermint candies
The Peppermint Patty is a sweet and chocolatey mixed drink combined with fresh minty flavors. It can be served hot and cold - we opt for hot.
For this, we spike a base of hot chocolate with two different Crème liqueurs, namely Crème de Menthe and Crème de Cacao. Garnished with whipped cream and peppermint candy, it's a perfect hot cocktail for wintertime.
Instructions: pour both liqueurs into your hot chocolate and briefly stir the drink. Then top with whipped cream and garnish with candy sprinkles; -that's it.
Stinger
Ingredients:
- 2 oz Cognac
- 0.75 oz White Crème de menthe
- 1 Sprig of mint
The Stinger is a perfect after-dinner drink. It's a delicious two-ingredient cocktail that's both easy to make and sip. To many, this simple serve is the best mixed drink you can make with the mint-flavored liqueur.
For making it, you need the white version of the mint liqueur and VSOP Cognac. VSOP stands for Very Superior Old Pale and refers to the quality of the spirit. It means that it's aged for at least four years.
Instructions: combine both ingredients in a mixing glass filled with ice and stir until the drink is chilled. Strain into an Old Fashioned glass over ice and garnish with a sprig of mint.
Original White Lady
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz Crème de Menthe
- 1 oz Triple Sec
- 0.66 oz Lemon juice
The White Lady is known to be a classic Gin drink made with Triple Sec and fresh lemon juice, not really as a Crème de Menthe cocktail. So you might wonder why it's part of this list.
The thing is, in 1919, the creator of this recipe, Harry MacElhone first made his White Lady with the famous mint liqueur, not with Gin. 10 years later, he altered the recipe and substituted the mint-flavored liqueur with Gin.
Instructions: Add all ingredients into a shaker with ice and shake until the drink is chilled. Strain into a chilled coupe glass and optionally garnish with a lemon wheel.
Emerald Isle
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz Gin
- 1 tsp Green Crème de Menthe
- 2 dashes of Angostura bitters
When writing about Crème de Menthe drinks, you can't ignore one recipe - The Emerald Isle. This Martini-style cocktail is based on Gin, flavored with the green version of this mint-flavored liqueur, and balanced with a few drops of aromatic bitters.
It's typically served in a Martini glass and sports a striking green color. That also makes it a popular choice on St. Patrick's Day.
Instructions: Put all ingredients together into a mixing glass filled with ice. Stir until the drink is chilled, then strain it into a chilled Martini glass.
Absinthe Suissesse
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 ounces absinthe
- 1 teaspoon white creme de menthe
- 3 drops Anisette
- 3 drops of Orange flower water
- 1 egg white
The Absinthe Suissesse is the first entry on our list that's not actually mint-forward. Instead, the freshness of mint is used to tame the taste of the strong Absinthe flavor in the drink.
The addition of egg white to the cocktail recipe makes it velvety smooth and adds a beautiful frothy top. The other ingredients, like Anisette and Orange flower water, are mainly used to balance the flavors.
Instructions: combine the ingredients in your shaker with ice and shake until chilled. For extra frothiness, shake again without ice (reverse dry shake) for 10 seconds before straining into a chilled glass.
American Beauty
Ingredients:
- 2 oz Cognac
- 0.5 oz Dry Vermouth
- 0.5 oz Crème de Menthe
- 0.5 oz Orange juice
- 0.5 oz Homemade Grenadine
- 1 tbsp Red wine
This recipe is an adapted version of David Embury's celebrated original. The cocktail was first published in his book The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks released in 1948.
It's a refreshing drink with delicate notes of mint. A beautiful mix of flavors that blends extremely well. Besides the Stinger, this is probably my favorite recipe on the list.
Instructions: Add all ingredients except red wine into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Then shake for 15 seconds and strain the drink into a chilled glass. Float the red wine on top and garnish it with a flower petal (optional).