The Green Hat cocktail glows a pale jade as cool as a summer breeze, and true to its name, that green comes from crème de menthe, a mint liqueur that starts out naturally clear before it’s colored.
Built over ice with 5/6 oz (25ml) each of dry gin and green crème de menthe, then lifted with chilled soda, it opens with cool peppermint and settles into gin’s crisp, dry backbone with a light, clean finish. It’s a breezy highball worth pouring tonight.
Recipe and How to Make It
Ingredients
Recipe no.147
- Dry gin — 5/6 oz (25ml)
- Green crème de menthe (mint liqueur) — 5/6 oz (25ml)
- Soda water — Full
- Full = fill the glass to about 80–90%
Directions
Chill the glass and the soda water in advance.
Add ice, dry gin and green crème de menthe to the glass.
Gently fill the glass with soda water so it doesn’t foam up, then stir slowly and lightly. When mixing carbonated drinks, one or two slow turns of the bar spoon, lifting the ice up and down, is enough to blend everything.
・Technique ｜ Stir
・Glass ｜ Collins Glass / Tumbler Glass
・ABV ｜ Around 8%
・Best Enjoyed ｜ Any time of day / Before dinner
Features of the Green Hat
Flavor and Character
The Green Hat wraps crisp dry gin in the cool freshness of mint. With every clink of ice and rise of bubbles, a clear peppermint aroma drifts up from a glass that glows a pale jade.
The first sip is pure refreshment, then gin’s dry backbone gives it shape, and the finish stays light and clean. Gin and mint are a classic bar pairing, as in the Southside, so it drinks as easily as a soft drink yet tastes properly built.
For more mint, add a little extra liqueur; for more bite, a touch more gin. I always add a lemon slice, because its bright aroma lifts the mint beautifully.
Points, Twists & Food Pairings
Tips for Making It
- Adding soda before mixing the base (a common mistake) — Many people pour everything in and stir only once at the end. Crème de menthe is rich in sugar and sinks, so the first sips taste like plain soda and the last like syrup. Stir the gin and liqueur with ice first, then top with soda.
- Pour the soda gently down a bar spoon — Letting the soda run down the spoon or the side of the glass keeps its fine bubbles intact. With a chilled glass and cold soda, the drink stays crisp and lively from the first sip to the last.
- Choose a juniper-forward gin — A classic London dry gin gives the drink a firm backbone. I’d always pick one with clear juniper notes, because its piney dryness balances the liqueur’s sweetness and keeps the finish clean.
Twists
- Fresh Mint & Lime — Gently press a few fresh mint leaves in the glass and add a squeeze of lime before building. The fresh herb and bright citrus give it a lively, Southside-like freshness that’s perfect for hot days.
- Tonic Hat — Swap the soda water for tonic water. Tonic’s quinine bitterness and light sweetness add depth to the mint, turning the drink into a bittersweet cross between a Gin & Tonic and a mint highball.
Food Pairings
- Grilled lamb chops — Lamb and mint are a classic match, just like British mint sauce. The cool mint cuts the meat’s richness, while the gin’s herbal notes echo the rosemary and pepper on the grill.
- Fried calamari — The bubbles and mint freshen the palate after each crispy, golden bite, and a squeeze of lemon on the calamari ties in with the drink’s clean citrus finish.
- Dark chocolate — Mint and chocolate are a timeless pairing. The cocoa’s gentle bitterness meets the cool peppermint, like an after-dinner mint, while the soda keeps every bite light.
Recipe Video
- Recipe Video ｜ BAR.Channel Channel Home
Green Hat Cocktail: Easy 3-Ingredient Gin & Mint Highball
The Green Hat cocktail mixes dry gin, green crème de menthe and soda into an easy 3-ingredient mint highball. Get the recipe, tips, twists and pairings.
タイプ: Cocktail
料理: International
キーワード: green hat cocktail, gin and mint cocktail, crème de menthe cocktail, gin highball, mint highball, summer gin cocktail, easy gin drink
レシピー歩留まり: 1 drink
準備時間: 2 minutes (PT2M)
所要時間: 3 minutes (PT3M)
レシピー材料:
- Dry gin — 5/6 oz (25ml)
- Green crème de menthe (mint liqueur) — 5/6 oz (25ml)
- Soda water — Full
レシピーの説明:
Prepare:
- Chill the glass and the soda water in advance.
Combine the ingredients:
- Add ice, dry gin and green crème de menthe to the glass.
stir:
- Gently fill the glass with soda water so it doesn’t foam up, then stir slowly and lightly. When mixing carbonated drinks, one or two slow turns of the bar spoon, lifting the ice up and down, is enough to blend everything.
