Growing up, I was lucky enough to have parents who took me out to eat. My sister and I were fairly chill as far as kids go, and my parents fancied themselves progressively “cosmopolitan,” which at the time meant treating your children like little adults and letting them taste wine and stuff. I, in turn, fancied myself somewhat cosmopolitan (read: obnoxious) and early on developed my own rubric for what qualified as a very good restaurant.
Signs of an exceptional restaurant according to me, a kid, in 1992:
- A continually refilled bread basket.
- A generous Shirley Temple ratio of grenadine to soda.
- Cloth napkins for tucking in, because spilling.
- A bowl of free candy by the host stand. Extreme bonus if that candy happened to be Andes chocolate mints.
Almost all of these points still ring true for me (I will absolutely tuck a napkin today, especially if there’s soup involved). But sadly, the occasions upon which I encounter the world’s most perfect after-dinner mint — three ultra-thin layers of chocolate and mint wrapped in green foil — are becoming fewer. It seems our collective appreciation of Andes mints is waning, and that’s a terrible thing.
Officially called Andes Crème de Menthe (in case they weren’t already classy enough), the candy debuted to the masses in the 1950s, and they still scream of mid-century sophistication. While the brand’s mountainous logo evokes the cool air of the Peruvian mountains, the name is actually a riff on the original company founder, Andrew Kanelos, who, in the 1920s, had a Chicago store he called Andes Candies. (According to one source, he changed the name from Andy’s Candies after finding that men didn’t want to buy boxes of candy for their loved ones with another dude’s name on them.)
While Andes might be masquerading as after-dinner mints, there’s something much more satisfying about those wafer-thin squares than simply breath-freshening. They’re absolute workhorses, pulling the difficult double duty of refreshing your palate after that giant pile of garlic mashed potatoes (this was the ’90s, after all) while also providing that small hit of chocolate that so many of us require after meals. They’re bigger than a Tic Tac or a single M&M, but not so big that your parents will say you can’t also order a real dessert. And they’re individually wrapped for portability, which lends them to being heaped into a giant bowl on a restaurant’s host stand for easy grabbing.
When I was a kid, it felt sus. Wait — so they put a giant bowl of free delicious chocolate candy here, and I can just... take one? Or not even one, a handful? Am I going to get in trouble? How do restaurants expect to make money just giving out free candy?! Andes weren’t the only free mints I encountered, but they were by far the best. Peppermint hard candies are just too minty, too aggressive, and honestly who wants to spend a half hour sucking on a hard tab of toothpaste? Buttermints — those pastel, toothsome little blobs — are too chalky, and lacking the all-important chocolatey taste to really tell your taste buds their job is done for the night. That’s the thing: Andes mints are actually 2:1 chocolate to peppermint, which means they’re twice as much treat as utility breath freshener, almost like... a real dessert. And yet, they’re liberally tossed out to the masses, gratis.
The late ’80s and early ’90s had a whole thing with alpine-themed mint candies — the ad campaign for York featured people biting into a patty and immediately being whisked to some high-altitude Swiss ski slope. But Andes never needed any fancy commercials. Every Olive Garden host stand in America is advertising enough; each branch gives out the foil-wrapped gems, and the chain still features their own exclusive-to-Olive Garden flavor of the beloved mints — reportedly some riff on the brand’s Mint Parfait variety. I’m only sad these bulk jars aren’t sold at movie theaters alongside Junior Mints and Sour Patch Kids because I could easily crush 20 of them.
But that’s part of the beauty and brilliance of the humble, historic Andes mint: You don’t eat them just anywhere. We encounter them when we’re out, where they act as a sweet punctuation mark to a great restaurant meal. They signify a sense of occasion, something rarified and special, and, as they’re free, as pure a symbol as any of “unreasonable hospitality.” That’s something even a kid can appreciate.
FAQs
Today, the commercial sales of mints are expanding each year--and at the end of a large meal after-dinner mints are frequently served. But why do we take them? Peppermint (Mentha piperita) is usually taken after a meal for its ability to reduce indigestion and colonic spasms by reducing the gastrocolic reflex.
Do Andes mints help with digestion? ›
Benefits Of Mints
The reason that mints are both refreshing and soothing is due to the presence of peppermint, wintergreen, or spearmint in the candies. The mint oil in the confection can stimulate your stomach lining and ease stomach pain, reduce gas, and facilitate digestion.
Why does Olive Garden give Andes mints? ›
Much like our tradition of unlimited breadsticks and never-ending first course, the end-of-meal mint is a way for Olive Garden to share its hospitality and Italian generosity with guests,” an Olive Garden spokesperson told Nexstar's WHTM. The mints are made by the Andes Mint Company.
What makes Andes mints so good? ›
That's the thing: Andes mints are actually 2:1 chocolate to peppermint, which means they're twice as much treat as utility breath freshener, almost like... a real dessert.
Is it OK to eat mints everyday? ›
Like everything else we consume, it's best to consume them in moderation. Eating enough peppermint candies helps reduce bad breath and relieve indigestion and other stomach problems. However, peppermint candies have a high calorie and sugar content. Eating them in excessive amounts is not good for your overall health.
Do mints actually help your stomach? ›
Indigestion. Peppermint calms the muscles of the stomach and improves the flow of bile, which the body uses to digest fats. As a result, food passes through the stomach more quickly.
What is the history of after-dinner mints? ›
They were created by Rowntree Company Limited in the UK in 1962 and have been manufactured by Nestlé since its acquisition of Rowntree in 1988. The mints were originally manufactured at Rowntree's York factory, before production transferred to Castleford, West Yorkshire, in 1970.
Can you buy a box of mints from Olive Garden? ›
Can I buy a box of the mint chocolates! The one in the store just isn't the same.” In the short clip, TikTok user Yazzibae asks an Olive Garden employee if she can buy a box of Andes Chocolate Mints, which is the refreshing candy served at the end of every meal at the iconic eatery. “Absolutely,” confirms the employee.
Are Olive Garden Andes mints different? ›
According to Tootsie Roll Industries, the after-dinner mints they make for the chain "[are] similar in flavor to a traditional Andes, wrapped in silver foil with the Olive Garden logo" instead of the traditional emerald green etched with a minimalistic illustration of mountain peaks.
How long do Andes mints last? ›
I would say a little over 6 months, and of course keeping them nice and cold.
Andrew Kanelos, however, came up with a solution: Why not change the name to something that conjured images of exotic faraway places? All the while reflecting his name! So with that in mind, he changed the name to "Andes Candies" and added snowcapped mountains to the wrapper.
Who owns Andes mints? ›
A tasty little snack to enjoy at any time of the day, owned by Tootsie Roll Industries.
What does it mean when someone gives you mints? ›
If someone offers you a breath mint, the person might just be being polite. If so, you may not want a mint just then, but it's rarely polite or kind to turn down someone's offered generosity. But more likely, if they offered you a mint, you needed it.
What is the history of after dinner mints? ›
They were created by Rowntree Company Limited in the UK in 1962 and have been manufactured by Nestlé since its acquisition of Rowntree in 1988. The mints were originally manufactured at Rowntree's York factory, before production transferred to Castleford, West Yorkshire, in 1970.
What is the meaning of after dinner mint? ›
After-dinner mints are hard sweets characterised by the presence of mint flavouring. They are popular breath fresheners and they soothe the stomach, and are thus, ideally, eaten after meals.
What does eating mints do to your body? ›
Mint is a popular herb that may possess potential health benefits. This may include helping with digestive health, reducing allergic symptoms, and soothing common cold symptoms. Mint or mentha belongs to the Lamiaceae family, which contains around 15–20 plant species, including peppermint and spearmint.
