I know that when most people think of a Valentine’s Day “romantic” cocktail, they immediately think of something red. That’s cool, you can all have fun with that. However, I have a question: which M&M is the sexy, sultry one? Green! Red is nice and all, open a bottle of cabernet and enjoy yourself. If you want a truly romantic cocktail, however, you’re going to need something green. Another winning ingredient for romance? Chocolate. Oh yes. Allow me to introduce you to the best Grasshopper you’ve ever had.

“Wait, a grasshopper?” You bet. It’s better than you remember — or, dare I say, better than you’ve imagined.

For a standard Grasshopper, you’re looking at an easy enough ratio of one-to-one-to-one white crème de cacao, crème de menthe and dairy (heavy cream, we’re not fooling around here). That recipe works and works perfectly well. However, to my taste, it’s a bit overly sweet.

Never fear, this recipe fixes that!

What I want you to do is reach for your cognac. You heard me, your cognac. Don’t go cheap on me here — if you’re making this as a romantic treat for your loved one (or ones, I’m open minded), you don’t want them thinking you’re cheap either.

The cognac will help balance out the sweetness of both the crème de cacao and menthe, while tamping down the overly minty-ness of the crème de menthe. You’re not looking for a Christmas cocktail here (that’s why we have Classic Eggnog). You want to balance the three stars together with the cognac.

Oh, and on the dairy input — seriously, heavy cream. Don’t play around with anything less. You’re celebrating. Unless you’re alone. Then do you know what you’re doing? Celebrating the awesomeness of chocolate plus mint!

Fun fact? Neither Alice nor I particularly enjoy Valentine’s Day itself, so we’re going to join all of you out there enjoying the Grasshopper because it’s an awesome chocolate, mint and (importantly) green drink!

Now, let’s get to some Grasshopper action.