Caipirinha 
(Brazilian cachaça-lime cocktail)

Caipirinha in a glass with a straw and lime.
Image by Wikipedia: Christian

The national cocktail of Brazil, the caipirinha (kai-pi-REE-nyuh) is a heady mix of lime juice and cachaça (kah-SHAH-suh), a brandy-like alcohol distilled from sugarcane juice. Sugar takes the edge off the lime and makes throwing these drinks back just a little too easy.

Caipirinha

Course: BeveragesCuisine: Brazil
Servings

4

servings

The national cocktail of Brazil, the caipirinha (kai-pi-REE-nyuh) is a heady mix of lime juice and cachaça (kah-SHAH-suh), a brandy-like alcohol distilled from sugarcane juice.

Ingredients

  • Lime, halved, each half cut into 4 wedges — 1

  • Sugar — 1 or 2 tablespoons

  • Crushed ice

  • Cachaça — 2 to 3 ounces

Directions

  • Put 4 to 6 lime wedges into an old-fashioned glass and sprinkle with the sugar. Use a muddler or wooden spoon to crush together the limes and sugar to release the lime’s juice.
  • Pack the glass with crushed ice and pour in the cachaça. Stir well, garnish with a couple more lime wedges and serve.

Caipirinha Notes and Variations

  • Add more or less sugar according to your taste.
  • Instead of stirring the drink at the end, cover the glass with the bottom of a cocktail shaker and shake well for 10 to 15 seconds.
  • Caipiroska or Caipiroshka: Use vodka instead of cachaça.
  • Caipifruta: Substitute crushed fresh fruit for the lime juice. Try strawberries, kiwi, pineapple, mango, tangerines. Use about 3 tablespoons. Cut back on the sugar.
  • Use brown sugar instead of white sugar.

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