Mint Chocolate Chip

Also known as Mint Chocolate Chip Martini, Mint Choc Chip Cocktail

This is basically an adult mint chocolate chip milkshake—cold, creamy, and sweet with a real kick.

mintchocolatecreamydessertsweetafter-dinnershakeindulgentcool

ABV

Difficulty

Overview

What this drink is like

The first sip hits you with bright, cool mint and rich chocolate, almost like scooping into the frozen dessert. The middle is thick and dairy-heavy, coating your tongue as the vodka warms the back of your throat. It finishes sweet and lingering, leaving a minty chocolate breath behind.

Who will like it

This is for drinkers who love dessert cocktails, creamy textures, and sweet mint-chocolate flavors over spirit-forward bites.

When to drink

Serve this as a nightcap or a dessert replacement after a heavy meal when you want something indulgent.

Ordering tip

Ask the bartender to go easy on the cream if you want it more boozy than milky, or request a half-and-half split with white crème de cacao for a firmer drink.

Ice: NoneTemp: ColdCost: $8–$12Glass: CoupeBatch-friendlyHome bar friendly

Flavor

Taste profile

This drink is a straight shot of sweet, creamy indulgence that tastes exactly like its ice cream namesake. The mint hits first, cold and bright, followed immediately by rich chocolate and thick dairy. There is no real bitterness or acidity to cut through, so it sits heavy and sweet on the palate. It is not a complex or evolving drink, but a simple, comforting dessert in a glass.

Finish: The finish is long and sweet, leaving a cool mint tingle and a sticky chocolate coating on your tongue long after the sip.

Primary tastes

sweetcreamyherbal

Secondary

nuttyearthy

Aroma

fresh mintcocoadairy

Sweetnessvery sweet
This is dessert-in-a-glass levels of sweet, with sugar coming from both liqueurs, the cream, and the syrup.
Strengthmild strength
The alcohol is well hidden by the dairy and sugar, making it feel light even though there's a decent pour of booze inside.
Refreshingheavy and coating
The thick cream and heavy sweetness make this a slow-sipping drink that sits heavy rather than refreshing.
Creaminessvery creamy
The heavy cream and shaking create a thick, frothy, milkshake-like body that dominates the entire texture.
Complexitystraightforward
What you smell is what you get—mint and chocolate hit right away and don't evolve much as you drink.

Recipe

Make it at home

Shaken · Coupe · equal parts on Vodka. Unflavored vodka works best to let the mint and chocolate shine

Before you start

Put your coupe glass in the freezer for at least 10 minutes before making the drink so it stays frosty. Pull your cream out of the fridge right before you start so it's as cold as possible.

Ingredients

VodkaBase Spirit30ml
Green Crème de MentheLiqueurGreen gives the classic ice cream color; clear works if you only care about taste30ml
White Crème de CacaoLiqueurWhite keeps the color pale green; dark will turn the drink brown30ml
Heavy CreamDairyHalf-and-half works for a lighter body, but heavy cream gives that milkshake thickness60ml
Chocolate SyrupoptionalOtherDrizzle inside the glass for a visual swirl and extra sweetness15ml
Mint LeafGarnishFresh spearmint, slapped against your hand to release the oils1 leaf

Garnish: Fresh mint leaf, Chocolate syrup drizzle

Tools

Cocktail Shaker · Shaking
To shake and chill the cream and liqueurs together until frothy
At home: A large mason jar with a tight lid
Jigger · Measuring
To measure the liqueurs, vodka, and cream accurately
At home: A shot glass or measuring spoons
Hawthorne Strainer · Straining
To hold back the ice while pouring the creamy mix into the glass
At home: A fine mesh kitchen sieve
Coupe Glass · Serving
To serve the drink chilled and elegant without ice diluting the cream
At home: A small wine glass or shallow bowl glass
Bar Spoon · optional · Mixing
To drizzle the chocolate syrup down the inside of the glass
At home: A regular teaspoon or squeeze bottle

Steps

1
Take your chilled coupe glass out of the freezer. If you're using the chocolate syrup, drizzle it in lines down the inside of the glass, spinning it as you go to make a streaky pattern. Pop it back in the freezer while you mix.
!Using too much syrup makes the drink overly sweet and sticky at the bottom.
2
Pour 30ml vodka, 30ml green crème de menthe, 30ml white crème de cacao, and 60ml heavy cream into your shaker. Don't add the ice yet—give it a quick dry shake for about 10 seconds to whip air into the cream and get a good foam going.
~10s
!Skipping the dry shake leaves the drink flat and thin instead of frothy.
3
Open the shaker and fill it to the top with ice cubes. Close it up tight and shake hard for about 12 seconds until the outside of the shaker feels freezing cold and frost starts forming on the metal.
~12s
!Shaking too softly won't chill the cream enough or build the thick foam you want.
4
Pop the Hawthorne strainer onto the shaker and pour the drink through the strainer into your chilled, syrup-drizzled coupe glass. Pour slowly so you don't disturb the chocolate streaks on the glass walls.
!Pouring too fast can wash the chocolate drizzle off the sides and muddy the green color.
5
Take a fresh mint leaf and clap it sharply between your palms once—this cracks the leaf and releases the mint oils. Drop it onto the top of the foam in the center of the glass and serve right away while it's ice cold.
!Forgetting to slap the leaf means you won't get that hit of fresh mint aroma when you take the first sip.

Serve

Serve this right after straining while it's still very cold, before the cream settles and the foam flattens. The glass shouldn't have ice in it, so drink it within ten minutes.

Variations

Ingredient substitutions

Each row shows what you can swap in place of an original ingredient, and how the drink changes.

Swap options for Green Crème de Menthe

Green Crème de MentheClear Crème de Menthe
Match
Common availability
Green Crème de Menthe → Clear Crème de Menthe: Tastes identical but turns the drink a pale white instead of pale green.
Green Crème de MenthePeppermint Schnapps
Match
Common availability
Green Crème de Menthe → Peppermint Schnapps: Brings a sharper, less sweet mint flavor with more alcohol burn.

Swap options for White Crème de Cacao

White Crème de CacaoDark Crème de Cacao
Match
Common availability
White Crème de Cacao → Dark Crème de Cacao: Adds a deeper, richer chocolate note but turns the drink brown.

Swap options for Heavy Cream

Heavy CreamHalf-and-Half
Match
Common availability
Heavy Cream → Half-and-Half: Makes the drink lighter and thinner in body, less milkshake-like.
Heavy CreamOat Milk
Match
Common availability
Heavy Cream → Oat Milk: Drops the richness significantly and adds a slight earthy grain flavor.

Similar cocktails

Cousin drinks that share DNA with this one — each profile stands on its own.

Similar cocktail

Grasshopper

The Grasshopper skips the vodka and chocolate syrup, making it slightly lighter in alcohol and purely mint-focused.

Match

Both drinks taste like liquid mint ice cream, but the Mint Chocolate Chip hits harder from the vodka and leans heavier into the chocolate side.

In common: Creamy dessert cocktail, Shaken and served up, Sweet and mint-forward

Ingredients

Both share

Green Crème de Menthe, White Crème de Cacao, Heavy Cream

Only in Mint Chocolate Chip

Vodka, Chocolate Syrup

The Mint Chocolate Chip adds vodka for an extra boozy kick and chocolate syrup for a richer, sweeter chocolate hit that the Grasshopper lacks.

Flavor

Shared flavors

Creamy dairy body, Sweet mint backbone, Dessert-like profile

How Grasshopper differs

Stronger alcohol presence, More pronounced chocolate flavor, Slightly heavier mouthfeel

View recipe & details →

Similar cocktail

Brandy Alexander

The Brandy Alexander uses brandy instead of vodka and mint liqueur, giving it a warmer, richer, fruitier base.

Match

The Brandy Alexander feels like a warm, spiced chocolate dessert, while the Mint Chocolate Chip is a cold, bright mint dessert.

In common: Creamy dessert cocktail, Shaken with dairy, Served up in a coupe

Ingredients

Both share

White Crème de Cacao, Heavy Cream

Only in Mint Chocolate Chip

Vodka, Green Crème de Menthe, Chocolate Syrup

Only in Brandy Alexander

Cognac

Swapping the neutral vodka and bright mint for Cognac shifts the drink from cool and minty to warm and brandy-rich.

Flavor

Shared flavors

Rich chocolate notes, Thick creamy texture, Sweet dessert profile

How Brandy Alexander differs

Warmer and fruitier base, No mint coolness, Deeper, more complex spirit flavor

View recipe & details →

History

Origin

This cocktail does not have a single documented inventor or bar of origin. It emerged in the late 20th century as a direct dessert-cocktail homage to the classic mint chocolate chip ice cream flavor, relying on the standard bar combination of crème de menthe and crème de cacao.

Era: 1990s
Confidence

No single canonical recipe exists; proportions of cream to liqueur vary widely across sources, and the vodka addition is not universal.

Practical

Tips & pitfalls

What works at home and what to skip when making this drink.

Tips

Worth knowing before you pour

Use heavy cream, not milk, or the drink will taste thin and watery.
The dry shake before adding ice is the secret to getting a thick foam cap.
Chill your glass in the freezer for at least ten minutes before pouring.
Drizzle chocolate syrup inside the glass right before straining for the best look.

Avoid

Common mistakes

Don't skip the dry shake or you'll get a flat, lifeless foam.
Don't use dark crème de cacao unless you want a brown drink.
Don't let the finished drink sit around or the cream will separate.