Essential Liquor #20

#20) Crème de Menthe - I believe I have had the same bottle of crème de menthe since Winterfest IV. Like chocolate and peach, a little mint goes a long way. Unfortunately, Wisconsin's mint palate since the 1970s has been dominated by peppermint and menthol schnapps, both of which are virtually unmixable. Not so with crème de menthe which has been employed and enjoyed in the U.S. since the 1800s.

Our drink this week is an oldie, but a goodie. The grasshopper is one of the kings of dessert pours along with the pink squirrel and brandy alexander. Interestingly enough, the grasshopper was invented seventy or so years ago in the South, but is guzzled mostly in the upper Midwest. Wisconsin is the main state in which the original cream is substituted by vanilla ice cream (I like New York vanilla in my Wisconsin grasshoppers!). However, I'll provide the original (also yummy) recipe.

Grasshopper
1 part crème de menthe
1 part crème de cacao
1 part fresh cream

Shake like hell on ice.