Caipirinha - Caipirissima - Caipiroska Recipe - Brazil's Best Kept Secret!

Make your own Caipirinha!

Caipirinha is Brazil's national cocktail!  I can't believe that a country can have a national cocktail. 

The Caipirinha used to be Brazil's best kept secret, but it is now known all over the world!  And not only Brazilians favor this drink but a lot of other nationalities as well.  You can include Filipinos in the list as my friends and I love this drink as well.  It's fresh, smooth, and yet with a strong punch.  

Here's the simple recipe how to make your own Caipirinha!

1 Lime
2 ounces (1/4 cup) Cachaca
sugar to taste, preferably confectioner's sugar (I use around 2 Tablespoon)
ice cubes


Method:
1. Wash lime and then cut into wedges.
2. Place limes on serving glass or shaker, sprinkle with sugar, and then crush limes lightly with a pestle or muddler.  The sugar will help bring out the juices out of the lime.
3. Add the cachaca. Stir to mix.
4. Add the ice cubes.  Stir or shake to mix the drink before serving.

I tell you, it's good!  You can play around with the alcohol base as well.  Using vodkainstead of Cachaca will result to a cocktail called Caipiroska, while using white rumlike Bacardi Superior Rum, will produce a cocktail called Caipirissima!  I heard that the latest craze is to use Japanese Sake (rice wine) and Lychee to produce this drink!  Can't wait to try this combination as well.

Dayap - local lime variety

Dayap Caipirinha

I used these lovely Dayap instead of Limes as the latter is harder to find and are more expensive in our part of the world!  These give the drink a local twist - a nice ring to it.  It's not as presentable as Limes though.

Orange Caipirinha with Basil - Mojito?

And I've also tried using sweet Oranges instead of Limes!  Oranges have less tanginess and acidity making this drink sweeter.  It's very gentle to the palate and goes down very smooth!  I mixed this one with sweet basil to add a sweet and minty flavor to the drink - making it similar to the Mojito.  

Lemon Caipirinha

And lastly, I've tried the drink with Lemons as well!  All really turned out well and I just can't get enough of this drink!  I love pairing these with Spicy Mix Nuts for movie marathon nights.  I hope you'll enjoy making your own cocktail drinks as well! Cheers!