Caipirinha - Learn how to muddle and win friends!

[kirikintha]

Caipirinha is Brazil's national cocktail, made with cachaça, sugar and lime. Cachaça is Brazil's most common distilled alcoholic beverage. The video below is in Portuguese, but the gentleman shows a great way to cut the lime (or lemon) to muddle very well.

Main alcohol: Cachaça
Ingredients: Half a lime cut into 4 wedges, 2 Teaspoons sugar, 1 2/3 oz Cachaça
Preparation: Place lime and sugar into old fashioned glass and muddle (mash the two ingredients together using a muddler or a wooden spoon). Fill the glass with crushed ice and add the Cachaça.
Served: On the rocks; poured over ice
Standard garnish: Lime, Sugar cane
Drinkware: Old Fashioned glass

I change this up a little, and use simple syrup instead of granular sugar so I can muddle faster and not have a grainy mix. These are simply fantastic for the summer! My personal favorite over a Mohito.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2U0KIQjSLiA

[David Parrish]

Sounds good to me. I shall fwd this along to the better half (she makes the drinks). Thanks!

[Dewesq55]

I love caipirinhas. I have been making them for years.

[Dr ROK]

Wow those look fantastic. What would be a good substitute for cachaca? Don't think I'll be able to find it out here in the sticks.

[RG31F]

Cachaça is a very close cousin to rum. Both are made from sugar. Cachaça is made from the actual sugar cane where as rum is from i believe the by products. they are close in nature and in a pinch you can swap them.

Also you can add any type of fruit. I have had them with mango, passion fruit, kiwi, and blood oranges instead of the lime. its a pretty forgiving drink and you can have alot of fun with it at party's