Instead · 1
peppermint schnapps, with less added sugar
three quarters as much
- What it gets you
- Mint and alcohol at a higher proof and a lower sugar.
- What it costs you
- Sweetness and viscosity, so the drink needs a bar spoon of syrup.
Substitutions · 3 dishes here use it
Out of creme de menthe
Aggressive, cold and sweet, and it is very easy to make a drink taste like toothpaste. Use less than feels right and let something bitter sit under it.
Everything below is judged against that job. A swap that covers it is a swap; one that only looks similar is not.
Functional substitution system
Replace the job, then correct the side effects
For creme de menthe, the page's working definition is: Aggressive, cold and sweet, and it is very easy to make a drink taste like toothpaste. Use less than feels right and let something bitter sit under it. The swap cards below are judged against that job rather than visual resemblance.
1 · Job
What is the missing ingredient doing?
2 · Candidate
Choose the shelf item that replaces that function.
3 · Side effects
Check water, fat, salt, acid, sweetness, and texture.
4 · Small test
Change a spoonful or small portion first when possible.
5 · Correct
Taste again and move only the axis that is still wrong.
What to reach for
Instead · 2
simple syrup steeped with fresh mint
one for one
- What it gets you
- Actual mint flavor and sweetness, and it tastes considerably better than the bottle.
- What it costs you
- The alcohol, the color and about fifteen minutes.
Instead · 3
a herbal liqueur — chartreuse, genepy, fernet
half as much
- What it gets you
- A green, aromatic, sweet-bitter liqueur in the same seat.
- What it costs you
- The mint, replaced by whatever else is in the bottle. Fernet in particular takes over.
Where the swap will be tasted · 3
These need it and are short enough that nothing hides: 4 required ingredients or fewer. Make the swap a decision rather than a repair.
Check what else is in the pan
The company creme de menthe keeps in this library, counted off required ingredients. A swap that argues with the top two is the wrong swap, whatever a chart says.