How To Make A Caipirinha

If you're going to learn how to make a Caipirinha, you may as well learn from a group of Brazilians in a hostel in London in the middle of the night. Made with cachaça, which is similar to rum, along with lime and sugar, these simple cocktails are as potent as they are delicious. They make a refreshing alternative to the mojito and the margarita. If you don't have your own group of Brazilians, read on to learn how to make a Caipirinha and mix things up this season.

To make a Caipirinha, you’ll need:

• One lime
• Two oz. of cachaça
• One tsp. sugar (or more to taste)
• Ice
• An old fashioned glass
• A knife
• A cutting board
• A muddler or a pestle
• A spoon or stirrer

1. To make a Caipirinha, you’ll have to track down cachaça. A national product of Brazil, cachaça (pronounced kah-SHAH-sah) is made from sugarcane that is fermented and then distilled, much in the same way rum is made from molasses. While cachaça used to be difficult to find in the United States, as Caipirinhas have become more popular, it’s become easier to find. Use an un-aged cachaça to make a Capirinha. Aged varieties are more expensive and are designed to be enjoyed straight up.
2. When you’re ready to make a Caipirinha, use your palm to roll a lime against a hard surface for ten to fifteen seconds, which helps to release the juice. Cut the lime into wedges and put them in the bottom of an old fashioned glass with the pulp side up. Sprinkle the wedges with about one teaspoon of sugar (or more if you prefer a sweeter drink) and use a wooden muddler or a pestle to gently crush the lime, squeezing out as much juice as possible. Be careful not to break the peel. Add two ounces of cachaça and fill the glass with ice. Stir the Caipirinha and serve it cold.
3. While it won’t be traditional, you can make a Caipirinha with substitutions. You can use rum in place of cachaça in a pinch, creating a Caipirissima or try using sake for a Caipisake. You can also replace the lime juice with almost any kind of fruit juice. Citrus fruit, like orange or grapefruit, are an obvious choice, but feel free to experiment with more unusual flavors like peach, pineapple, grape or even mango. Use half a cup of the juice of your choice in place of lime juice to make your Capirinha.