Why The Retro Grasshopper Cocktail Makes A Perfect After-Dinner Drink

After dinner, sometimes we crave a special treat to cap the night off with. Oftentimes, dessert fills this role — but, other times, we adults want a boozy nightcap instead (or, alongside) dessert. Well, if you're in search of the perfect after-dinner drink, look no further than this Retro Grasshopper cocktail recipe, which was developed by Molly Madigan Pisula. This sweet cocktail — which boasts a beautiful, bright green color and consists of white crème de cacao, crème de menthe, and heavy cream — is the right choice to end the night with for one key reason.

Pisula explains, "This is not a very alcoholic cocktail, since the crème de cacao and crème de menthe aren't as boozy as something like gin or vodka." So, if you're worried about getting too tipsy before bed, you can rest easy with the Grasshopper, knowing that it doesn't have a very high alcohol content. Given the lower alcohol content, you may even want to indulge in more than one.

Another reason to choose the Retro Grasshopper as your nightcap? It pairs well with traditional desserts, too. 

Pisula believes that the Retro Grasshopper is easily a dessert in and of itself, given its natural sweetness it. To make the drink even more dessert-like, Pisula says, "You can also garnish the rim of the cocktail glass with chocolate shavings, or dust the top of the cocktail with nutmeg or cocoa powder. Or top with whipped cream." But, if you're looking to have a super-decadent night, complete with both a nightcap and a traditional dessert, then the Grasshopper can also be paired with plenty of desirable desserts. As for what dessert to choose, Pisula says, "[The drink] pairs beautifully with chocolate."

There's no shortage of amazing chocolate desserts out there to choose from. Maybe you want to pair this fancy cocktail with a straightforward chocolate dessert, such as brownies, a slice of chocolate cake, or a piece of your favorite chocolate bar. Or, maybe you're feeling ultra-fancy and want to prepare a more complex and elegant dessert ahead of time to pair with the Grasshopper — this may call for a homemade chocolate caramel tart, a salted chocolate cheesecake, or maybe even a show-stopping chocolate pavlova.