Frothy Malt Grasshopper

Here is the dessert display from yesterday's Irish meal, from left to right: pistachio-crusted mint chocolate cream pie, emerald truffles, mint nanaimo bars, and Irish soda bread. To round out the meal, I made my take on a grasshopper drink. Typically a grasshopper is a sweet, green mint flavored drink using crème de menthe and crème de cacao liquers. This is my version, which is definitely not as sweet and incorporates some different flavors. I had neither required liquer on hand and was not about to venture out in the midst of a storm, so I just made do with what I had on hand.

Frothy Malt Grasshopper
1 Tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon pure mint (or peppermint) extract
1 shot strong espresso
1 shot single malt scotch 
1/2 cup almond milk

Stir together the cocoa and ginger in a mug, then whisk in the espresso and scotch until smooth. Froth the almond milk until doubled in volume. Stir in half of the milk, then spoon the rest on top. Serve immediately.

Some notes and hints: I like the flavor of almond milk in this drink, as I think it is lighter and blends better with the strong flavors already present in the drink. Milk of any kind must be cold in order to be frothed, so I recommend serving this as a cold drink and using cold espresso. This also gives a stronger flavor of the scotch without having to use a lot. However, the drink may be heated after preparation but may lose some of its volume. You can add a touch of sweetener if you wish, I think a liquid sweetener will blend better but you may wish to avoid strong flavors like maple or honey.