![]() The panel was, however, willing to entertain other alterations to the classic formula. With this in mind, the competing drinks that arrived dressed in other colors of the rainbow-from cream to brown to turquoise-were eliminated from the running fairly quickly. But he added that the average Grasshopper drinker is more often than not a traditionalist who is not looking for a challenge, and that attitude likely extends to the color of the cocktail. “That’s the namesake.” Mullen disagreed, saying, in the end, it was more important to him that the drink taste good than be green. “The three most important things,” stated Mullen, “are texture, the balance between the mint and chocolate, and the temperature.” Beyond that, most everyone agreed that a drink called the Grasshopper ought to be green, even if that means relying on drops of artificial food coloring. Though the once-common dessert drink-traditionally made of crème de menthe, crème de cacao and cream-hasn’t been a barroom or restaurant favorite for decades, all three judges nonetheless held strong opinions about what constituted a good version. (Something pastel?) Springtime's right around the corner.Caiafa joined PUNCH and fellow bartenders Jon Mullen (Grand Army) and Sarah Morrissey (Ernesto’s) on a recent Wednesday afternoon at Brooklyn’s Grand Army for a blind tasting of 10 Grasshoppers, using recipes collected from bartenders from coast to coast. They aren't quite as fragile as they might sound, though once the drink is in the glass it keeps the decoration nice and cold.Īs you sip your grasshopper and graciously accept the compliments piled on by your guests, start thinking of other uses for the colored Magic Shell garnish. Don't try to pour a whole platter of the cocktails at once by the time you get to the last glass the décor will have softened. The cocktail glasses can be done ahead of time too – and after you're done garnishing, slide them back in the freezer, as well.Īs you serve a cocktail, pull the glass out of the freezer to fill it with grasshopper, then return the pitcher to the fridge. You will want to mix up your batch of grasshopper cocktail well ahead of time, and keep the pitcher in the fridge. It's very important to have everything very, very chilled. You can do holiday stars, or swirls so the finished drink is reminiscent of Christmas ball ornaments. It sets up instantly, leaving bright red contrasting designs that will show up when you pour the grasshopper in. White Magic Shell (which is actually cupcake-flavored, in this case) is dyed red (add the food coloring slowly, because the magic shell picks up color extraordinarily well, although you do want a deep, vibrant red) and then swirled on the inside of frozen martini glasses, using a cheap plastic squeeze bottle. Yes, your favorite ice cream topping does holidays AND cocktails. The appropriate garnish takes it over the top, turning a monotone green cocktail into a slammin' Holiday Grasshopper Cocktail. ![]() (We'll do a shaken grasshopper, not the blended version, if only because blending drink after drink for guests will give any host a very non-festive headache.) It's green and minty, so it's already two-thirds of the way to Christmas glory. While there are relatively few explicitly holiday-themed cocktails, it's easy to take an old favorite and, through the magic of a delightful garnish, turn it into snazzy holiday fare.
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