Caipirinha (pronounced [KIE-PUR-REEN-YAH]) is made with cachaça, sugar and lime. Cachaça is Brazil’s most common distilled alcoholic beverage. Cachaça is made from sugarcane alcohol, obtained from the fermentation of sugarcane juice which is afterwards distilled.

The word

The word “caipirinha” is the diminutive version of the word “caipira”, which refers to someone from the countryside, being an almost exact equivalent of the American English hillbilly. The word may be used as either a masculine or a feminine noun, but when referring to this drink it is only feminine (usage of diminutives is conspicuous in Brazil). However, a Brazilian hardly ever thinks of a “country person” when ordering a “Caipirinha”. In the mind of a Brazilian, the word “Caipirinha” is mostly associated with the drink itself.

Popularity

Caipirinha is enjoyed in restaurants, bars, and many households throughout the country. Once almost unknown outside Brazil, the drink has become more popular and more widely available in recent years, in large part due to the rising availability of first-rate brands of cachaça outside Brazil. The International Bartender Association has designated it as one of their Official Cocktails and has labeled it one of the 50 greatest drinks of all time

Preparation

» 1 small lime
» 1 1/2 tsp sugar
» 1 1/2 oz cachaca

Cut the top and bottom off the lime, then cut lengthwise in quarters and place in an old fashioned glass, skin side down. Add sugar and, using a pestle, crush lime and muddle until sugar is dissolved. FIll the glass nearly to the top with crushed ice, pour in the cachaca and sitr.

DRINK WITH MODERATION. IF YOU DRINK DON’T DRIVE.