Killer Caipirinhas

Caipirinhas are the national drink of Brazil. They are made with cachaça (ka-SHAS-sah), which is a liquor made from sugar canes. Cachaça is a very strong liquor and most restaurants serve caipirinhas too strong - good for getting very drunk very fast and not at all enjoyable.

I am much more interested in the flavors and textures of what I put in my mouth than getting “schiffaced” (that’s French for drunk), so here is my take on how to make a caipirinha that is both flavorful and refreshing.

Ingredients:

Cachaça
Like most liquors, there’s a variety in quality of cachaça. Chances are in most places outside Brazil, you’ll only find one variety at the liquor store. So buy what you can and enjoy it. Grab it off the shelf with gusto because you’re on your way to a great caipirinha.
NOTE: If you are unable to find cachaça, use vodka instead. In that case, you’re making a “Caipiroshka” (Kie-pee-ROSH-kah). [I know – that sounds like what might be the name of a Russian exotic dancer, but I assure you that it’s a common drink in Brazil.]

Limes
Get the fattest, juiciest little limes you can buy. I’ve found that the rounder ones with thin rinds usually have the most juice. But make do with what you have readily available because you won’t know for sure until you cut it open. If they are not very juicy you’ll just have to use more of them.

Sugar
Plain-jane granulated sugar is what you need. You can substitute Splenda if you want.

Water
If you live in a place with decent tap water, use that. If your local tap water tastes or smells funny, you have my condolences because that’s a quick way to ruin coffee, caipirinhas or anything else. If so, try a Brita filter or use bottled water. Either way, make sure it’s cold and that you have as much water as cachaça.

Ice
The traditional way to serve caipirinhas is with crushed ice, but unless you have an ice crusher it’s a very tedious to crush your own ice. In my humble opinion, it’s just as effective to use reguar cubes as it is to crush the ice. No matter what you do, just be sure to use some form of ice and you’ll have a great drink.

What to do:

1. Chill the ingredients. At least 2 hours before you start mixing, put the cachaça in the freezer and put the limes in the fridge.
2. Before you start mixing, put on your favorite music and turn it up loud. A caipirinha maker in a festive mood will make a great-tasting drink.
3. In the glass of your choice, mix 2 – 3 ounces of cold cachaça with equal amounts of very cold water. The exact amount doesn’t matter, but the proportion does, so mix accordingly so it’s equal.
4. Add 3 full teaspoons of sugar (not rounded and not heaping either). If the sugar bothers you, use Splenda instead, but do not skimp on the sugar because it’s important to get the right taste.
5. Stir it vigorously with a spoon so as much of the sugar dissolves as possible.
6. Now take one entire lime for each drink and roll it in your hands to release the juices. Let it feel the love. Slice it into wedges, and if possible remove the white fibrous center because that can add bitterness to the drink that throws off the flavor. Take each wedge of lime and hand-squeeze it into the liquid, dropping each wedge into the drink. Get as much of the pulp into the drink as you can so it turbo-charges each sip. If your limes are not very juicy for some reason, go ahead and cut up another one and add wedges with abandon. The limes are critical!
7. Stir it again vigorously and get it all mixed up.
8. Then fill the rest of the glass with ice, giving it one last stir.
9. Serve, enjoy and repeat as needed.

Variations:

Just as vodka might be a good substitute for cachaça, you can use grapes instead of limes to make “Caipiruvas” (Kie-pee-ROO-vah).

If you can get your hands on some passion fruit, you can try passion fruit instead with seeds and all. While this drink is not unheard of and Brazilians are well familiar with passion fruit, or maracujá (Mah-rah-koo-ZSAH),there is a no ready-made variation on a name for the passion fruit version to my knowledge, so make up your own.

Please feel free to let me know what you think and if you have any ideas to improve on this recipe. Share your comments whenever you like.

Thanks and enjoy!