Cheers to samba. As charming as Copacabana. Better than Brazilian football. Caipirinha (ka-pur-een-ya) is by far Brazil's best drink. This drink is delicious and refreshing, and, as you will soon see, is very easy to prepare.
Ingredients
- Lime
- 3 tbsp white sugar
- Ice
- Cachaça (ka-shah-sa) Brazil. Real caipirinha is made with only cachaça, but you can substitute rum or light vodka if you can't find it.
Step
Step 1. Cut the lime into eight parts (not in thin strips) and remove the white part in the middle (to avoid bitter taste)
Step 2. Squeeze the lime over the sugar
Step 3. Fill the glass with ice cubes
Step 4. Pour in the cachaça
Step 5. Stir
Step 6. Serve with a straw
Tips
- In Brazil, caipirinha is usually served on a barbecue, so make a caipirinha for your next barbecue!
- Use very good quality sugar to increase its absorption.
- The perfect caipirinha has the perfect balance of sugar, lime and cachaça. Never let one taste be stronger than the other.
- Squeezing - this squeeze involves pressing and blending ingredients like fruit, peel, mint, etc. on the bottom of the glass on top of high-quality sugar. The rough surface of the sugar will help crush the ingredients easily.
- Try it with other fruits besides lime. Strawberries, watermelon and kiwi are spectacular choices.
- You can use the back of a spoon if you don't have a pounder (which is similar to a pestle).
- What Brazilians usually call a lemon is actually a lime.
- Always use white cachaça that resembles a crystal. Never use the golden one, which is usually called "Cachaça Envelhecida". No caipirinha in Brazil is made with this cachaça.
- If you can't find Brazilian cachaça, you can try using white rum to make caipiríssima or vodka to make caipiroska. Some of the best cachaça brands are Velho Barreiro, Mãe de Ouro, gua Luca, Beleza Pura, and Leblon.
- Use real cachaça, not factory-produced ones. The results will be worth it!
Warning
- Some people use lemon to prepare caipirinha. This is a mistake. Do not confuse the difference between lemon and lime. While the taste may be similar and the drink appealing, a true glass of Brazilian caipirinha is made with lime.
- Keep in mind that cachaça has a high alcohol content. So drink responsibly!
- Check the minimum legal age to drink alcohol in your area.
