Spirits Frozen Grasshopper Be the first to rate & review! Andrew and Briana Volk from Portland Hunt & Alpine Club in Portland, Maine, share their take on the classic grasshopper. This frozen cocktail is infused with bracing aquavit, bringing a bite of caraway, fruity banana liquor, and cooling crème de menthe, resulting in a balanced but strong drink. Using two kinds of crème de menthe, both white and green, creates the contrast between the stark white whip and minty green drink, but either color can be used in both. By Andrew Volk Andrew Volk On starting Portland Hunt & Alpine Club: I’d returned to Maine with my wife and I couldn’t find a single bar that focused on quality spirits and cocktails. There were plenty of folks making solid drinks, but they weren’t spotlighted the way the food, beer or wine was. On things every home bartender should know: It’s important to get down one or two drinks that you like and can pull off pretty effortlessly. When you’re at home, you have things taking you in multiple directions and the last thing you want is to have your head buried in a bar when you could be hanging out with your friends. Coolest cocktail name you’ve ever come up with? Cardomomagin – Scotch, lemon, cardamom syrup, hard cider. We were brainstorming cider cocktails and had just made a cardamom-coriander syrup for another drink. It was a quick and easy drink to mix up. It took longer to figure out the name. It’s a mix of “cardamom” plus “cardigan” (it has Scotch in it!). The next "big thing" in the cocktail world: There is movement away from cocktails that are precious and only served in hushed, darken venues. I think the big thing we’ll continue to see is great drinks being served in all kinds of places – Negronis at chain restaurants and really creative cocktails at bars you may not expect to deliver such quality. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines and Briana Volk Published on November 19, 2020 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Photo by Victor Protasio / Prop Styling by Christine Keely Active Time: 20 mins Total Time: 1 hrs 20 mins Yield: 2 to 4 Ingredients Rich Simple Syrup 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/4 cup water Grasshopper Whip 3/4 cup heavy cream 6 tablespoons white crème de menthe (such as Tempus Fugit) Frozen Grasshopper 1/2 cup heavy cream 1/4 cup (2 ounces) aquavit (such as Krogstad) 1/4 cup Rich Simple Syrup 2 tablespoons (1 ounce) green or white crème de menthe 2 tablespoons (1 ounce) banana liqueur (such as Tempus Fugit Crème de Banane) 3 1/2 cups ice cubes Additional Ingredient Shaved dark chocolate (optional) Directions Make the rich simple syrup Bring sugar and 1/4 cup water to a boil in a small saucepan over medium, stirring often to dissolve sugar. Transfer to a small heatproof bowl, and let cool completely, about 1 hour. Make the grasshopper whip Beat cream and crème de menthe with a hand mixer on medium-high speed until medium peaks form, about 8 minutes. Chill until ready to use. Make the frozen grasshopper Process all ingredients in a blender on low speed, quickly increasing speed to medium-high, until smooth, 1 minute to 1 minute and 30 seconds. Divide grasshopper evenly between 2 chilled glasses. Top evenly with grasshopper whip. Garnish with shaved chocolate, if desired. Serve immediately. Make Ahead Rich simple syrup may be stored in an airtight container in refrigerator up to 1 month. Rate it Print