How to prepare a Caipirinha

How to make a caipirinha step by step .

We are in luck, a new project that you will surely like, since all of you have demanded it.

Many emails asking why I had no recipes for drinks or cocktails on the blog … It is true that it is a category that I have always neglected, but starting today and every Friday I will present you a cocktail of the best and best-known level.

We will start with caipirinha,  the most popular cocktail in Brazil and a drink recognized as the most famous in this country worldwide.

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So famous is it in Brazil, that in 2003 it was declared as the typical drink of Brazil by the national government. And it is that after the Cuban mojito , one of the most drunk cocktails in the world is caipirinha.

Cachaça, pinga or branquinha

Both share a good number of ingredients and have a similar preparation, except that the caipirinha does not contain peppermint and, above all, it is prepared with a very special distillate, the cachaça , pinga or branquinha .

This brandy is obtained from the distillation of the juice of the fermented sugar cane. Unlike rum, which generally comes from molasses, cachaça is a by-product prior to the crystallization of sugar. 

The history of cachaça production dates back to the 16th century, the time when sugarcane was made on this continent, where the remains of the production were delivered to slaves and when distilled, the cachaça was obtained, which they took to endure the long cold work days.

This distillate began to be mixed with different fruits but the one that had the most acceptance was the one created with lime. This cocktail has a high alcohol content, its recipe ranges from 38% to 51% alcohol.

Caipirinha ingredients

The rest of the caipirinha ingredients are only sugar, crushed ice and lime juice, but keeping in mind that the lemon used is a smaller, green lemon that is native to Brazil. 

This famous cocktail should be drunk in moderation since the richness of its taste and how refreshing it is, makes it not take into account the amount of alcohol it has, and with it its effect. 

If instead of preparing with cachaça, vodka is used, you get the drink known as caipiroska, which is a variant of the classic caipirinha, very common in countries where Brazilian cachaça is not available.

I hope you cheer up after watching the video of its preparation, Tomy helps us to prepare the authentic recipe for caipirinha .

Preparation of a Brazilian caipirinha

1. The preparation of the caipirinha is very simple. We wash the limes or lemons very well and cut them into wedges. I like to cut the segments into cubes so that they release more juice.
2. We place the lime pieces in a wide-mouthed glass and add a tablespoon of brown sugar.  With a macerator or mortar, crush the lime to release its juice, mixing with the sugar.
3. We add crushed ice to complete the entire glass. The original recipe is with normal cubes and not crushed ice, but also keep in mind that in Brazil it is much hotter and ice melts faster, so my recommendation is to opt for crushed.
4. We pour the cachaça to taste, depending on the flavor you want to give our drink, for an optimal caipirinha it is recommended to fill to the top, … yes, it is a ball, but it is as best, it is delicious. The lemon pieces are left cut inside the drink, so that they continue to add their juice.
5. It can be taken with sorbet or directly from the glass. For a more elegant presentation, you can decorate the rim of the glass with a little sugar and accompany it with 2 straws.

The caipirinha admits various variations depending on the distillate used. When there is no cachaça on hand it is normal to resort to vodka to prepare caipiroskas , while if white rum is used it is known as caipirissima .

This preparation is to teach you how to prepare a caipirinha. If you want to surprise friends, partner or family and prepare caipirinha in greater quantities, follow this video step by step.