This Creamy Mint Cocktail Was Once Popular Across The US, But Still Holds On In A Couple Places

If you were at a party, and someone asked if they could get you a soda, beer, or grasshopper, you'd probably be a little startled, but depending on where you live, it's not actually a strange offer. Grasshopper cocktails — a sweet, creamy, mint-chocolate flavored drink with a distinctive green color — have been stirred up since the late 1910s, but have lately been relegated to a regional treat. That's a pity, because they're essentially a Thin Mint Girl Scout cookie (or Trader Joe's copycat) in a glass, but you can still track them down in some spots, or make one yourself.

Grasshoppers, which are made with crème de menthe, crème de cacao, and heavy cream, originated in New Orleans at a restaurant called Tujague's. While Tujague's has been serving the Crescent City since the 1850s, the grasshopper was first concocted in 1919 and became popular through the 1920s. Tujague's still serves them, and New Orleans remains one of two places where grasshoppers are found relatively easily on bar and restaurant menus. The other place is Wisconsin, where the "blended grasshopper" takes the dessert-like nature of the drink to the next level by using vanilla ice cream instead of cream.

If all this talk of a sweet, creamy, mint chocolate cocktail, with or without ice cream, is making your mouth water (and why wouldn't it?), it might strike you as odd that grasshoppers aren't a more popular drink. What happened? Well, the grasshopper was part of a broader trend for creamy, sweet dessert cocktails, with another example being the colorful retro favorite, the pink squirrel. These drinks reached a height of popularity in the 1950s, but later generations considered them old-fashioned. Moreover, many bars may have stopped stocking heavy cream due to storage issues, making it impossible for even highly skilled bartenders to make grasshoppers on demand.

However, as people become curious to try vintage cocktails, more and more bars are bringing back the grasshopper, with variations that include vodka, cognac, or even tequila. The blended grasshopper, which originated in Wisconsin and bears a strong association with "supper club" restaurants in the state, is also spreading across the country, with bars as far off as New York beginning to offer them. This revival might be because dessert drinks are fun, whatever their color, but it could also be part of the broader interest in crème de menthe, a key grasshopper ingredient that is also seeing a comeback in popularity.