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Home » Drink » Cocktail » Caipirinha

Caipirinha

Created: July 4, 2019 Updated: September 12, 2022 by Lyuba Brooke 2 Comments

2.9K shares
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Caipirinha is a traditional Brazilian cocktail made with Cachaca liquor, limes, and sugar. Three simple ingredients is all it takes to make this refreshing, sweet cocktail but there is a little more to it than just throwing them together. Prepared properly, this is an amazing sipping cocktail that’s perfect for hot weather.

Caipirinha recipe in a glass cup

WHAT IS CAIPIRINHA

Caipirinha is a traditional cocktail in Brazil. You can enjoy it in most Brazilian steakhouses across the states, as well as in many restaurants and bars. Although, unless I am at an authentic Brazilian restaurant, I have to ask how they prepare their Caipirinha because it’s very easy to screw up. 

If it’s not prepared correctly, you will not be drinking a sweet and refreshing cocktail but straight up Cachaca instead. And trust me, that is not as pleasant as it might seem. Cachaca is a Brazilian spirit comparable to rum but it is not at all sweet. It’s made out of cane juice pressed from the raw sugarcane stalks. The juice is then fermented and distilled into rum-like spirit.

Although, Cachaca is comparable to rum, it is made with raw sugarcane juice and not one that has been processed into molasses like the rum we are familiar with. Therefore, it has an herb/plant like taste and not sweet.  

Since Cachaca is not a sweet spirit, Caipirinha should be made with a good amount of sugar to balance out the strong taste of liquor. Muddling lime and sugar until sugar melts releases all the aromatic juices and oils from the lime to infuse this cocktail with great flavors.

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pouring a caipirinha into a glass with limes

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE CAIPIRINHA

Ingredients:

Cachaca – since this cocktail has a very high liquor to other ingredients ratio, choose top shelf brand of Cachaca. Using better liquor will make a world of difference in this cocktail. 

Lime – use ripe limes to get the most juice out of them. 

Sugar – the best sugar to use is raw sugar, also known as turbinado. The downside to using raw sugar is that it takes a little longer to melt, so you would need to muddle the limes and sugar for a longer period of time. (You can substitute brown sugar or super fine sugar but in a slightly smaller amount.)

Tools:

Muddler – muddler is a good tool to have especially if you make a lot of cocktails with fruit, herbs, and spices like caipirinhas, mojitos, juleps, and old fashioned. A muddler is used to mash, or muddle, fruit and herbs for cocktails. It is similar in function to a pestle but instead of being smooth at the end, it is ribbed to tenderize fruit and release all the juices and essential oils.

Old fashioned (rocks) glass – it’s a short tumbler that is perfect for a strong, sippable cocktail.

Caipirinha in a glass on a wood table

HOW TO MAKE CAIPIRINHA

Use room temperature limes so the juices melt sugar faster. Slice lime into slices or small chunks and add it to the glass. Add sugar and muddle, muddle, muddle! The goal is to make sure sugar is melted before adding Cachaca. 

Add ice cubes almost to the top and and pour in Cachaca. 

Use another larger glass (or a shaker) to pour the mixture back and forth a couple of times to mix.

Sip slowly and enjoy!

caipirinha in a glass with ice and lime

SOME MORE COCKTAILS TO TRY

Peach Bellini

Classic Margarita

Grapefruit Sangria

Strawberry Mojito

Mojito Pitcher Recipe

White Sangria

caipirinha in a glass with ice and limes

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PIN THIS RECIPE

Caipirinha

Caipirinha is a traditional Brazilian cocktail made with Cachaca liquor, limes, and sugar. Very simple refreshing cocktail that is best sipped slowly.
5 from 2 votes
Print Pin SaveSaved! Rate
Course: cocktail, Drinks
Cuisine: Brazilian
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 1
Calories: 332kcal
Author: Lyuba Brooke

Equipment

  • Muddler

Ingredients

  • 1 lime
  • 1 1/2-2 tbsp raw sugar (turbinado) (If substituting brown sugar or super fine sugar, use less)
  • 3 oz Cachaca
  • Ice
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Use room temperature limes so the juices melt sugar faster. Slice lime into slices or small chunks and add it to the glass.
  • Add sugar and muddle, muddle, muddle! The goal is to make sure sugar is melted before adding Cachaca.
  • Add ice cubes almost to the top and and pour in Cachaca. 
  • Use another larger glass (or a shaker) to pour the mixture back and forth a couple of times to mix.

Notes

All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe. Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have a slight variation.

Nutrition

Calories: 332kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 2mg | Potassium: 68mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin C: 19.5mg | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 0.4mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @willcookforsmiles and tag #willcookforsmiles

caipirinha collage

 

LYUBA

ABOUT LYUBA

I’m Lyuba Brooke, mother of 2, the cook, recipe developer, photographer, and author behind willcookforsmiles.com. I share many classic and original recipes, cooking tips, and tutorials. My passion is sharing delicious meals for everyone to try. Read more...

2.9K shares

Filed Under: Cocktail, Drink, Popular Posts

All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe. Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.

Comments

  1. kipas guys says

    January 16, 2023 at 4:43 am

    5 stars
    so delicous

    Reply
  2. Keli says

    July 4, 2019 at 12:43 pm

    5 stars
    Awesome refreshing!!

    Reply

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Well, hey there!

I’m Lyuba Brooke, mother of 2, the cook, recipe developer, photographer, and author behind willcookforsmiles.com. I share many classic and original recipes, cooking tips, and tutorials. My passion is sharing delicious meals for everyone to try. Read More.

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