Crème de Menthe

Made from several varieties of mint, this cordial primarily tastes of peppermint. Originally much drier than its cloying descendants, crème de menthe comes in green and clear (called cream). First made in Holland and France of mostly Corsican mint, crème de menthe is now made even in the United States.

Fannie Merritt Farmer set the scene for the success of this liqueur in her 1896 bible of American kitchens, The Boston Cooking-School Book: "After serving café noir in the drawing room, pass a Stinger.

Somewhere along the line, crème de menthe fell far from grace, to the low ranks of the Campari, crème de menthe, Tabasco, Bailey's Irish Cream, and sambuca, the ridiculousness of the Fiery Dragon is sadly but typically summed up by the mere mention of crème de menthe.