David Robinson says this of his drink, The 18th Amendment:
This is a fun drink. For me, the Grasshopper has been important in my career in bartending, something that’s been at the key moments in my bartending career. So for me to re-envisage a drink that’s based on the Grasshopper is something that’s really cool.
In terms of the drink, it’s really simple: we’re talking about 50mls of BACARDÍ Ocho 8 Year Old Rum; we’re talking about 10mls of crème de cacao, the white one; 10mls of crème de menthe white; we’re talking about a rinse of Branca Menta. It’s delicious, a beautiful drink.
I was on holiday in New Orleans, everyone loves a holiday in New Orleans. Getting to go to a bar called Tujaque’s in New Orleans for me is something that’s really spiritual and really amazing. It’s the first ever standup bar in America, the second bar in New Orleans, and the home of the Grasshopper invented in 1919. And there’s a correlation between BACARDÍ and Tujaque’s facing Prohibition at the same time — Tujaque’s traded through Prohibition the whole time. They were hiding shit in their aprons, it was gorgeous — proper bartenders. The police didn’t give a shit. They were the cool place to be.
There were two factors going on there, so that was happening, but there was also the medicinal side. Branca Menta wasn’t invented at the time, but Fernet Branca was going nuts, because it was classified as medicinal.
So those were happy days — life was great.
The 18th Amendment
- 50 ml BACARDÍ Ocho
- 10 ml De Kuyper Crème de Cacao
- 10 ml Tempus Fugit Crème de Menthe
- Rinse with Branca Menta
- Stir the Ocho, cacao and creme de menthe with ice in a mixing glass.
- Strain into a Nick & Nora glass.
- Garnish with a mint leaf.