Crème de menthe

Crème de menthe is a sweet liqueur flavoured with mint and containing typically about 25% alcohol and usually served as a digestif after meals. It is available in both green and colourless versions and both taste the same. Despite it sounding so quintessentially a drink related to Poirot (as can be seen on Internet resources), there are surprisingly not as many references to it in the works of Christie as one might expect. It does occur more frequently in adaptations.

Poirot occasionally also asks for crèmes (i.e. sweet liqueurs) in other flavours.

Crème de Menthe (and other crèmes) in Christie's works

 * Elephants Can Remember - Poirot is discussing with George what drinks to serve Ariadne Oliver. Poirot thinks she likes creme de menthe but they settle for kirsch.
 * Death on the Nile - Poirot offers to order Salome Otterbourne a creme de menthe or a chartreuse.
 * Mrs McGinty's Dead - Poirot pours himself "a tiny glass of gleaming green crème de menthe" and can't understand why Superintendent Spence prefers beer.
 * After the Funeral - he drinks crème de cacao for after dinner in preference to port.

Crème de menthe (and other crèmes) in adaptations

 * The Million Dollar Bond Robbery (Agatha Christie's Poirot episode) - Poirot celebrates the successful conclusion of the case with a creme de menthe. He is about to pour Hastings one but notes that he spurns liqueurs and so pours him a whisky.
 * The Mystery of the Spanish Chest (Agatha Christie's Poirot episode) - at the opera, Poirot is drinking a green liquid, likely to be creme de menthe.
 * The Affair at the Victory Ball (Agatha Christie's Poirot episode) - at the ball, Poirot says it is time for a creme de banane. Hastings looks horrified.
 * Sad Cypress (Agatha Christie's Poirot episode) - Poirot is shown studying a glass with green liquid, probably creme de menthe. He uses the drink as an analogy for action that is suspended.
 * Murder on the Orient Express (1974 film) - Poirot is seen with a green drink on several occasions: dinner with Senor Bianchi and later during dinner on the train.
 * Evil Under the Sun (1982 film) - Poirot asks for a creme de cassis or a sirop de banane.
 * Evil Under the Sun (Agatha Christie's Poirot episode) - Poirot asks for a crème de cassis but is refused because he is banned from alcohol.
 * Appointment with Death (1988 film) - Poirot takes a crème de cassis while Colonel Carbury goes for whiskey and soda.