Despite the unusual name and colour - some may even think it looks like melted mint ice cream - the Grasshopper is a wonderfully sophisticated and utterly delicious classic gin cocktail.
Traditionally, a Grasshopper is a cocktail made with just Créme de Menthe, Créme de Cacao and cream, but we’ve given it a delectable twist. Our recipe includes gin, of course, and we have also swapped the Créme de Cacao for Amarula Cream Liqueur, which our lucky members can find in their November 2020 Gin of the Month box.
Amarula Cream Liqueur has a fruitier flavour profile that works beautifully with the mint and juniper flavours of the other tasty tipples in this cocktail recipe. So ‘hop’ to it and whip one up this weekend!
Amarula Grasshopper
Ingredients
15ml gin
15ml Amarula Cream Liqueur
15ml Crème de Menthe (available online)
30ml single cream
A sprig of fresh mint, to garnish
Shaved or grated chocolate, to garnish (optional)
Method
Put all of your ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a martini glass. Garnish and enjoy.
You can find a large bottle of Amarula, along with all the other ingredients you need to make the Amarula Grasshopper, in the cocktail bundle on our online shop, available now. >>
So what exactly is Amarula Cream Liqueur?
Amarula is a delicious cream liqueur suffused with the flavour of the marula fruit, a uniquely African fruit.
As you might guess, marula fruit comes from the marula tree, which is also known as the ‘elephant tree’. These trees grow wild in the subequatorial regions of Africa, and cannot be cultivated.
When these fruits start to ripen and fall to the ground, their aroma attracts elephants from all over the continent, who migrate for miles to partake in their favourite snack.
To make Amarula, the marula fruits are handpicked by local communities as they ripen, before being naturally fermented and then distilled in copper pot stills. The liquid is then matured and aged in oak barrels for two years for smoothness before being blended with cream, to produce a beautiful liqueur.
What does Amarula taste like?
When ripe, the marula fruit tastes like an exotic combination of ripe pears and passionfruit, with a distinctive tang.
The delicious liqueur also takes on the characteristics of vanilla and caramel from its time ageing in oak barrels, and the addition of the cream gives it a beautiful velvety texture. But it’s the distinctive, fruity lift of the marula fruit that really makes this liqueur shine. All of those amazing flavours are what make Amarula such a special tipple - there really is nothing quite like it! It’s these flavours that make Amarula so incredibly versatile.
How do you drink Amarula?
Traditionally Amarula Cream Liqueur is served over ice. However, we also love to use it in hot drinks like hot chocolate, tea and coffee to warm up on chilly winter days.
You can also use Amarula in baking and cooking; it’s fantastic as an addition to seasonal gingerbread!
And, of course, this liqueur is right at home in cocktails like the one above!
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