Caipirinha Cocktail

This is the national cocktail of Brazil made with Cachaça, sugar and lime, which is enjoyed throughout the country and has become popular all over the world. First class Cachaça is widely available in recent years outside of Brazil. Cachaça is Brazil's most widespread distilled alcoholic beverage. Both Rum and Cachaça are made from sugarcane-derived products.

Ingredients

2 part Cachaça

1 lime

2 tsp brown sugar

crushed ice

Method

Cut a slice of lime and put aside. Cut the lime in wedges and place in a chilled lowball glass. Add the sugar and muddle the lime with a pestle. Pour the Cachaça in and fill the glass with crushed ice. Stir well and serve immediately.

Note: The pestle from Brazil is made of wood. Muddle the lime just enough to release the juice or else it will get bitter. If you can’t buy Cachaça where you live, use vodka and it is called Caipiroska and is popular in Sweden and Finland. Caipifruta is a very popular Caipirinha cocktail in Brazil, consisting of Cachaça, crushed fresh fruits and crushed ice. Tangerine, lime, kiwifruit, passion fruit, pineapple, lemon, grapes, mango, cajá, and caju are the most popular fresh fruits used to create Caipifrutas. Caipisake is also becoming increasingly popular and is made with sake instead of Cachaça normally prepared with strawberries or kiwifruit.