Peppermint Martini

The Peppermint Martini is creamy and minty cool: the perfect winter cocktail! Rise and rim the jar with mints.

Here’s a delicious signature winter cocktail: try it Peppermint Martini! This drink is creamy and minty fresh, a delicious combination of peppermint schnapps and chocolate liqueur. In fact, you might want to drink it any time of the year! Of course it’s perfect for the holidays. Cozy up with one by the fire or sip it as a fun Christmas cocktail with finger food. Anyway, with a flavor of liquid candy canes, this one is an absolute crowd pleaser.

What’s in a Peppermint Martini?

The Peppermint Martini is a variation of a flavored vodka martini made with peppermint schnapps. As you may know, vodka martini bears little relation to the classic dry martini. It’s more of an excuse to whip up a vodka flavored drink served in a martini glass! This combines peppermint and chocolate flavors with a rich, creamy body. Here are the ingredients you need to make a peppermint martini:

How sweet is this drink?

Shake these ingredients in a cocktail shaker and the result will be minty and creamy! This peppermint martini has just the right amount of sweetness in our opinion (and we’re not a fan of overly sweet drinks). While it could be considered a dessert drink, it’s not overkill. The sweetness comes mostly from the liquor and crème de cacao, so no simple syrup is added.

Prepare the rim of the peppermint martini glass

This Peppermint Martini is great as is, but when you’re entertaining, it’s perfect with a mint rim! Here’s how:

• Crush the mints and place on a plate. Place them in a plastic bag and use the bottom of a glass, tin can, or rolling pin to break them into pieces.
• Transfer a pool of grenadine to another plate. There shouldn’t be many! The grenadine syrup is the glue that holds the candy in place. Place the outer rim of the glass in the grenadine and twist. Keep the jar position constant and simply rotate the wand for an even coating.
• Don’t have a pomegranate? You can also use water. Simply wet the edge of the glass rim with your finger. Grenadine makes candy canes better, but water works.
• Place rim in crushed candies and spin. Then do the same in the crushed candies! The grenadine will hold the crumbs in place.

Make it dairy free or vegan

Would you like to make this a dairy-free or vegan peppermint martini? All you have to do is replace whole coconut milk for cream! It comes out with a slight coconut flavor but it’s not overwhelming. Coconut fat is a good substitute for milk fat. (Don’t use coconut cream: the drink will be way too sweet!)

Learn more about peppermint schnapps

The peppermint schnapps makes this Peppermint Martini stand out! It is a clear alcohol obtained by adding a peppermint flavor to a clear grain alcohol. You can substitute the crème de menthe blanche if you have it on hand. Here’s what you need to know about this type of liquor:

• What ABV is peppermint schnapps? Peppermint schnapps is sold in three different ABV levels: 15% vol. (30 vol.), 30% vol. (60 vol.) and 50% vol. (100 vol.). Compare it to liquor with 40% ABV like vodka.
• What does peppermint schnapps taste like? The taste is like a candy cane, with a spicy, alcoholic finish. The starch tastes almost like mouthwash!
• How much does it cost? Peppermint schnapps is very cheap: a 750 ml bottle costs between 8 and 10 US dollars.
• Is there a replacement? White creme de menthe can serve as a substitute: it has a milder, more balanced mint flavor. Just be careful you don’t get the crème de menthe verte (which gives a grasshopper’s signature green color)!

Important: 100 proof liquor

There are a few types of peppermint liquor you can find in stores and online: 30 proof (15% vol), 60 proof (30% vol), and 100 proof (50% vol). As you can imagine, 100 proof is very strong. If the bottle says 100 proof, skip the amount in the recipe and add to taste!

More peppermint drinks

The Peppermint Martini is one of our favorite mint cocktails! Here are some other mint drinks that work as holiday cocktails and beyond: