Creme de Menthe Green

Crème de Menthe is a distinctive alcoholic beverage whose flavor is primarily derived from Corsican mint. The sweet, mint liqueur is commercially available in a colorless, or white, variety and a vibrant green variety colored by the mint leaves, or the addition of coloring if mint extract rather than mint leaves have been used. The two varieties have a very similar flavor and are interchangeable in most recipes except where the green color is important.

 

The top three brands of Crème de Menthe available in the United States are:

• Bols
• Cusenier
• McGuinness

Production of Crème de Menthe

Crème de Menthe is produced using oil extracted from fresh mint leaves, most commonly peppermint, which is then distilled and infused with alcohol and the other ingredients including sugar and colorings as required. The liqueur is generally around 24% ABV, although this can vary between manufacturers. The green variety of the liqueur is much more common, in fact white Crème de Menthe is increasingly difficult to find in shops, it is more commonly found in specialist cocktail bars.

Cooking With Crème de Menthe

Crème de Menthe is used in cooking as a mint flavoring. One common use is to mix the liqueur with ice cream to create a mint flavor shake which is often topped with nuts or pecans. In other recipes it is often used in conjunction with chocolate to create mint brownies, cakes and confectionery.

Crème de Menthe Cocktails

When it comes to drinking Crème de Menthe, serving it straight up is an acquired taste. It is much more common for the liqueur to be combined with other beverages to create cocktails with a hint of mint. While most cocktails will not be affected by choosing either white or green Crème de Menthe when it comes to taste, often the color is important to determine the look of the drink. Some popular Crème de Menthe cocktails and shooters along with their recipes are listed below.

 

• Grasshopper – equal parts of green crème de menthe, white crème de cacao and light cream
• After Eight – equal parts of Tia Maria, crème de menthe and Bailey's Irish cream layered in a sherry glass without mixing.
• Brandy Stinger – 1.5 oz brandy and three quarter oz of white crème de menthe stirred over ice
• Peppermint Martini – 3oz pepper vodka and 1 oz of white crème de menthe shaken over cracked ice and garnished with fresh mint
• White Spider – equal parts of vodka and white crème de menthe poured over large amount of ice
• Fallen Angel – equal parts gin and white crème de menthe shaken with lemon juice and a dash of bitters, then served with a cherry garnish
• Shamrock – Irish whiskey, dry vermouth and a touch of green crème de menthe garnished with an olive
• Green Devil – equal parts of gin and green crème de menthe with lime juice
• Dead Green Frog – equal parts of peppermint liqueur, Kahlua, crème de menthe, Irish cream and vodka chilled and strained into a shot glass.