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★ Why You'll Love this Recipe ★
"Grandpa's green drink" is what we called this creme de menthe and brandy after-dinner drink. We grandkids knew not to bother the grown ups when grandpa sat down to relax and chat with his kids (our parents) while sipping his family-famous "green drink."
I now know this mixed drink has a official name, it's called a Stinger cocktail, a very popular drink dating all the way back to 1890s and leading up to the 1970s.
You can find out more about the origins of the Stringer drink here.
A classy drink for a dapper man
My grandpa was a hard-working man. He ran his own accounting business, was a dad to three children, exercised regularly by swimming, jumping rope or using his Nordic Track (remember those?), and maintained his own property grounds.
He even built a large storage shed himself (I helped a little!) to store his tools. Funny enough though, that shed was outfitted with a mini fridge, a ceiling fan, a deck, and some LL Bean furniture. It quickly became grandpa's get-away and a playhouse for us grandkids. So where did his tools go? Well, he built a second shed for those.
Grandpa loved to laugh, praise God, sing "I love mountain music," and talk about the good old days. Some of his favorite quotes were "It's a beautiful day on Earth" and "Whatever you do, don't do it!"
He ate peas with a butter knife just to make us grandkids laugh, wiped water away from his "leaking" painting of a lake hung above the fireplace, and loved to playfully pretend to give my grandma a boot to the behind in response to her whipping his butt with a dish towel! What a bunch of goofballs!
As you can see, I have a lot of fond memories of my grandpa and therefore of this iconic green Stinger drink.
I'm happy to finally be sharing it, so that all you hard-working folks can try out this nostalgic cocktail too while you sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labor. In the words of my grandpa, "God bless, America!"
★ Tips & FAQs ★
In most cases a stinger is made with white creme de menthe but for some reason my grandpa opted for the green creme de menthe. I have to admit, it always looked pretty cool and refreshing.
He always prepared his green drink in a diamond-textured glass full of crushed ice. In fact, I remember when my grandparents upgraded to a fridge with a crushed ice maker built in. Grandpa no longer had to get out a separate ice grinder for his green drink. Must have been a satisfying day for him!
Typically you'd serve this green stinger cocktail in a rocks glass. My grandpa used to drink his in a tall patterned glass. Similar to this set of diamond-patterned rocks glasses. You will likely need to double this recipe if you're serving them in a drinking glass which is taller than a rocks glass.
Absolutely! Since this version of the Stinger is such a vibrant green, it really does make a great drink to serve at a Christmas party or enjoy it for St. Patrick's Day. It definitely has a festive vibe to it! Basically any party with a theme that involves something green would be a match.
However, no special occasion was needed for my Gramps. The green Stinger was his signature drink that he enjoyed at all the family happy hours.
★ More Cocktail Recipes ★
More Holiday Drink Ideas
Check out my white Christmas cocktail and my raspberry gin fizz cocktail.
This green stinger drink recipe was featured on South Your Mouth!
**You must be 21 or older to enjoy this beverage. Please drink responsibly**
Grandpa's Green Stinger Drink
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ oz brandy
- ¾ oz creme de menthe green or white your choice
- Crushed ice
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Instructions
- Fill a rocks glass full with crushed ice.
- Add brandy and creme de menthe and stir.
- To make it a double, just double the ingredients.
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