Recipe for a Caipirinha cocktail - the famous cachaca drink from Brazil

My version of the Caipirinha cocktail: delightfully refreshing and powerfully alcoholic drink based on cachaca.

Step 1 Some information, ingredient list and required tools

Caipirinha (k-eye-per-reen-yah) is the name of the drink: Cachaca (kashasah) is the name of the alcoholic spirit/liquor used in the drink. Cachaca is a Brazilian distilled liquor that starts from unaldulterated sugarcane juice (unlike rum, which is made from what is left over after the main sugar removal process).

In Ontario, Canada I have only seen the Pitu brand of cachaca available.

This version of the Caipirinha uses limes. (The only other fruit I have made it with is lemons - so far). I am indebted to Markus in Germany who introduced me to this wonderful cocktail.

You will need:

• a jigger for measuring (I cannot be held responsible for anyone "free handing")
• cachaca
• lime(s)
• teaspoon measure
• coarse sugar
• ice cubes
• muddler, aka pestle aka "mashing stick"
• short, wide glass(es) (Old Fashioned type)
• sharp knife and cutting board
• short straw(s)

Comments

[Lalo Martins]

1: Grinding is intended and the point of the muddling. Some people prefer it without grinding, but the original recipe calls for grinding (therefore coarse sugar).

2: Please, please, in the name of Dionysus, it's lemon, not lime. Stop spreading this misconception :-) it's born of mistranslation and ignorance. The proper taste comes from chemical reaction between the citric acid and the sugar, and limes just don't have enough acid for that to happen (which is why many people don't see the point of muddling).

Don't get me wrong, lime "caipirinha" is a tasty drink, and so is caipirissima, caipiroska, and many other variations; but they're not "real" caipirinha, just similar drinks.

[lnorman1]

I am really confused by you guys' exchange. You say that it isn't limes, but lemons, and then you say that it is actually persian limes...
Persian limes are the most common fruit sold as limes in North America, with key limes coming in second. It looks to me like that is a persian lime on the cutting board of the picture. Am I missing something?

[glacombe1]

Lime is Limão in english. Lemon is Lima in portuguese. This confusion is common. Lime is green, lemon is yellow. Limão é verde e lima é amarela...

[Lalo Martins]

Lime is lima in English. Lemon is limão in Portuguese. Your confusion is common. The source of the confusion is one single specific species, the Persian Lime, which in Portuguese is called a limão. Every other species of lime is called lima in Portuguese, every other species of limão is called lemon in English. Please do some research before spreading misconceptions.

[glacombe1]

Lalo, may be in Portugal, but in Brasil, Persian Lime is known in Brasil as Lima da Pérsia, Limão is green in Brasil and in english the green fruit is called lime. Please, look at my blog 1000caipirinhas.blogspot.com where you will see several videos from Youtube where people name those fruits accordingly. Thanks for noting that in other portuguese speaking places there can be differences.

[Lalo Martins]

I'm Brazilian, I've never set foot in Portugal. Persian lime is known in Brazil as limão taiti. I've never heard of “lima da Pérsia”. The fact that you have a blog doesn't mean you have facts... again, please do some research before you spread misconceptions.

Also, I've said it twice already and you're ignoring it: every other species of lime is called lima. Every known species of lemon is called limão. Every other species of limão is called lemon. Every known species of lima is called lime.

[glacombe1]

Espero que tenha gostado do meu comentário colocado abaixo onde consegui tirar suas dúvidas sobre as diferenças entre lima da persia, limão taití, e lima. Um abraço!
Georges

[Lalo Martins]

Não vejo comentário abaixo, e eu não tenho dúvida nenhuma pra tirar, não sei de onde você tirou essa “informação” toda...

[Bruno153]

Na verdade também é conhecido por limão siciliano... Nomes populares... quem sabe
It's also known as sicilian lemon... Popular names... who knows...

[gantun]

Actually man, The lemons make the drink wayy too bitter. The best way to do it would be to peel off a lime, then slice it and crush it with a pestle. And the real one uses limes, but in brazil, we call them "Limão" and what you guys call lemons we call "Lima".

[Lalo Martins]

The lemons make the drink as bitter as it's supposed to be, since the drink is made with lemons and not limes. If it's too bitter, you're not using the right amount of sugar, or cachaça, or not doing it correctly.

The story of “limão” being limes and vice-versa is a misunderstanding that I'd like to see dead. There are many kinds of “limão” which are used for cachaça, and most of them are lemons. The most common one, the “limão taiti”, is known in English as a “persian lime”; if you can find that where you live, absolutely go for it. But open it up and taste it; it tastes like a lemon, not like a (key) lime. The most common kind of lime is the key lime, and that's called a “lima” in Brazil. In fact, there's no kind of “lima” that is called a lemon in English; they're all limes. The only kind where there is any confusion is the taiti/persian lime, and that's not usually found in the Northern hemisphere apart from the Middle East.

tl;dr: no, “limão” is not lime, not in general. The right ingredient is, in order of tasting best to worse: persian lime, lemon (any kind), lime (not persian).

[glacombe1]

Lalo, you are correct, limão is not lime. But my point is to make sure people do not mistake lime and lemon, as in portuguese we use lime (Citrus latifolia (yu. tanaka) tanaka ) to make caipirinhas. And we usually use the word lima to name Citrus xlimon that is called lemon in english.
check these links:
Citrus xlimon (lima)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lemon
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=CILI5
http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lima_%28fruta%29

Citrus latifolia (yu. tanaka) tanaka (limão taití)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lime_%28fruit%29
http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lim%C3%A3o

Citrus aurantifolia (lima da pérsia)
http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lima-da-p%C3%A9rsia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Key_lime

[Mongpoovian]

I absolutely love this drink, thanks for posting the instructions. :) I was also introduced to it in Germany!

[glacombe1]

You can look at 1000caipirinhas.blogspot.com to check for several recipes and variations on this drink. I hope you enjoy!

[jkeller16]

I wanted to pass along some information that first time caipirinha makers might find helpful.

I also noticed requests to make caipirinhas for "the masses". Below the instructional video there is a recipe for various size pitchers.

I hope that you find this link helpfulThe Perfect Caipirinha which was created by Leblon Cachaca

[glacombe1]

If you want a lot of caipirinha recipes please, take a look at: 1000caipirinhas.blogspot.com this is a video colection of caipirinha recipes with several variations!

[OhTheBether]

Yum... Thanks for the instructions, I want to make this and this a great tutorial! Have you tried it with brown sugar? That's the only way I've had it, and it is delicious.

[usignola]

Great idea! I was thinking of whether this would turn out OK with regular old granulated sugar (since I don't have the rough stuff right now, and live in Belgium, and am not sure how easy sugar-in-the-raw would be to get in a Belgian supermarket), but using brown is a fascinating alternative. Thanks! :)

[OhTheBether]

If you still want to use coarse sugar, it is also called turbinado sugar.

[glacombe1]

In several places in Brazil caipirinha is made with brown sugar. But not the very raw one but the one we call demerara sugar. The taste matches with the cachaça very well.

[glacombe1]

Very good recipe. Very complete and correct. I have a blog with a collection of videos in Youtube that teaches how to prepare a caipirinha or a variation on a caipirinha. You will find there that despite there is this standard as teached in this post above, there are several nice variations. I hope you check my blog and enjoy! Not only the serious recipes but also the crazy ones.

http://1000caipirinhas.blogspot.com

[jobard]

That's why brazilian women are labeled as wh$%es

[jobard]

Where are the lemons?

[gantun]

Caipirinha can be made with Cachaça,Pinga, Aguardente, Vodka, Sake or Rum. I've done them with limes(lemons don't taste so good), Pineapples, Kiwii, Strawberries, Watermelons and, my favourite, Tropical mix(every juicy fruit you may happen to have in your fridge). Cheers from São Paulo-Brasil

[ecinox]

hummm delicius

[jdog1]

good lookin limes

[revamp]

lol...didn't think there were melons in this drink!

[duneman101]

Great instructable sounds like a great adult beverage, i will be face first on the floor this weekend because of these i am sure. Props for the cleav shots, your mrs. is a real looker.

[incorrigible packrat]

I've been keen to try cachaca since seeing it on Thirsty Traveler. I find this recipe even more motivating, for some reason(s)... @@ There goeth more of my hard-earned paycheque to the L.C.B.O. Maybe I should just work there. Perhaps they have employee discounts...

[Mister_Caipirinha]

Certainly having a couple of drinking 'buddies' along makes any imbibing session much more enjoyable than a solitary pursuit. Sneaking up on a quarter century of marital bliss. Cheers.

[incorrigible packrat]

Congratulations. How long have you been drinking caipirinhas? I'm curious about whether the type of beverage has any effect on the enjoyability of the imbibing session. Mrs. packrat, a drinker of wine most of the time, seems to just get mildly abusive, then falls asleep. I've ordered a bottle of Pitu, and will conduct a highly scientific study...

[Phoghat]

With all due respect to Mr. and Mrs Caipirinha, I must congratulate him on snagging the lovely and talented Mrs. Caipirinha who displays just the right amount of bazongas.

[PetervG]

I recommend less cleavage.

[raccoon]

Cleavage (among other things) paid my way through college, and has helped me pay for a few cars. The amount of cleavage featured here is just right. I have not been able to find Cachaca or a trendy muddle (or is it muddler?). But I made this drink with both white rum and white tequilla and both turned out just fine, although I went with a little less sugar. I do most of my muddling with a miniture Louisville Slugger souvenir bat (I have a few, but usually use my Rico Carty autographed version, on which I've filed a few criss-cross slits into the handle end for extra crushing prowess) and it works very well for virtually all muddling tasks. I use this same device for crushing mint when I make mint juleps. Where does one find Cachaca?

[humberto ribas]

Check http://www.deltatranslator.com/cachaca.htm#names for just some of the ways of calling it. And as for finding it, should you ever come to Brazil, you'll find it just around EVERY corner. Just in my state, Minas Gerais (where the most famous ones come from) there are over 1.000 brands. Can you afford it? Well, try Germana, by far the best, the problem is it can cost from US$60 to US$100 a bottle, but believe you me, it flies you to heaven (it can also fly you to deepest hell, if not careful)

[Mister_Caipirinha]

Viva la difference!
As for cachaca,
http://www.pituusa.com/http://www.pituusa.com/
or
http://www.deltatranslator.com/cachaca.htmhttp://www.deltatranslator.com/cachaca.htm

[SirGrok]

Really? I recommend more.

[hultint]

HELP GUYS!!!!! Am having party for 50 and want to serve Caipirinhas to start with!!! Any ideas??? I don't mind slaving over glasses in the kitchen but for 50! Not sure that would be clever as what an earth would happen to the food in the meantime! Any advice gratefully appreciated!!!!!! Thanks in hope!

[hultint]

Obrigada for advice!! My Viking husband and I spent 2 months in Brasil this year and landed up in Buzios where we spent many a day and night enjoying this wonderful drink! We are now in Cape Town so thought I would definitely intoduce it to the natives here... they make something similar, but not as good!!

[Mister_Caipirinha]

I have heard you can make pitchers instead of individual glasses. I have not done this but: I have made Caipirinhas to travel and one piece of advice I would give you is to remove most of the lime rinds leaving a couple for looks only since while you want some bitterness, leaving the rinds in too long makes the drink unbearable. Maybe you could mix all except the ice in the pitcher and pour it over crushed ice in a glass??