How to Make a Caipirinha
Slice your lime., Put the limes and sugar in a glass., Muddle the sugar and lime., Add the ice., Add the cachaça and stir., Serve with the lime wedges in the drink., Try a different type of alcohol., Substitute a different fruit for the lime, or add...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Slice your lime.
Cut it in half, then into quarters.
Use the slices from approximately one quarter of the lime in the drink – 3 to 4 slices.Brazilian recipes typically call for more lime: ½ to even a whole small lime.Adjust the amount to your taste. -
Step 2: Put the limes and sugar in a glass.
It is preferable to use a rocks glass (aka a lowball glass).
Use 2 teaspoons of sugar for a sweeter drink, one for a drink with more of the cachaça flavor.
American bartenders prefer raw sugar,.
Refined white sugar is usually used in Brazil.You can substitute 1 or 2 oz. of simple syrup (50/50 sugar and water by volume) for the sugar. , Muddle them by pressing down and twisting repeatedly with a muddler – a long pestle shaped like a miniature baseball bat.Crush the limes just enough to release their juice.
If you mash them too much, your drink will be bitter.If you don’t have a muddler, just use the back of a spoon. , Crushed ice is best, though cubed will work fine. , Recommendations from American bartenders range from 2 oz. (a little over a shot) for a sweeter, tarter drink,to
2.5 oz. (about two shots) for a stronger drink.Brazilian recipes, which are typically heavier on lime and lower on alcohol, usually call for
1.7oz (50ml)., Enjoy! , A true caipirinha is always made with cachaça, but in Brazil, you’ll find a variety of other takes on the national drink employing different alcohols.
If you don’t have any cachaça on hand, try one of these:
Substitute vodka to make a caipiroska.Caipiroskas mix very well with different fruit pulps.
Substitute white rum for a caipirissima.Rum is a sugar based alcohol like cachaça (from molasses, rather than sugarcane juice) and produces a similar, though less earthy flavor.Because of its simpler flavor profile, rum mixes slightly better with fruit than cachaça.
Substitute sake for a caipisake.These are best made following the traditional recipe, as sake loses its particular flavors and aromas when mixed with fruit. , Pretty much any fruit will work in a caipirinha.Pick ones that you like or that are in season.
Here are some popular fruits, with tips on how to add them:
Tangerine – Substitute ½ a tangerine for the lime to make a caipirinha de tangerina.Strawberry – Substitute 4-5 quartered strawberries for the lime.Passion fruit – Substitute for lime.
Take 1 small passion fruit or ½ a large one, cut it in half crosswise and scrape the pulp in a glass.Pomegranate – Add 4 teaspoons of pomegranate seeds to a caipirinha made with 2 slices of lime.
Muddle the seeds with the lime and sugar.Watermelon – Puree a cup of watermelon (seeds removed) in a food processor, and add it to a traditional caipirinha along with the cachaça.Grapes – Muddle 7 seedless grapes along with 2 lime slices and the sugar.Kiwi – Add one peeled and chopped kiwi to a caipirinha made with ½ a lime.
Muddle the kiwi with the lime and sugar.Pineapple – Add 2 tablespoons of crushed pineapple along with the cachaça in a traditional caipirinha.Raspberries – Muddle 6 raspberries along with the lime and sugar.Kumquats – Muddle 5 kumquats along with the lime and sugar.Guava – To make the popular caipirinha de goiaba, mix 100ml of guava juice and 2 teaspoons of condensed milk, then add the cachaça and ice.
No extra sugar; the condensed milk and guava provide the sweetness., In the US raw sugar is standard, while Brazilians prefer refined sugar.
But there are a number of other sweeteners that can subtly change the flavor of a caipirinha.
Honey – Substitute 1oz. of honey for the sugar.Maple syrup – Substitute
1.5 teaspoons of maple syrup for the sugar.Agave – Substitute 1 teaspoon of agave syrup for the sugar. , Especially when trying a fruity caipirinha, you can really bring out the flavor of the fruit with a fruit-infused cachaça.
To infuse cachaça, dump the fruit and a bottle of cachaça into a glass container (not the original bottle).
Seal and let sit in a dark place for 24-72 hours, then strain and return to the original bottle.Here are few ideas to get you started:
Pineapple infused cachaça – Peel and slice a whole pineapple and cover with a bottle of cachaça.Raspberry infused cachaça – Add
3.5 cups of raspberries per bottle of cachaça.Strawberry infused cachaça – Add 3 cups of strawberries per bottle of cachaça.Chili infused cachaça – Add 1 large Anaheim chili and 3 serrano chilis per liter of cachaça.
This infusion works well with a caipirinha made with cucumber slices muddled along with the sugar and lime. -
Step 3: Muddle the sugar and lime.
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Step 4: Add the ice.
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Step 5: Add the cachaça and stir.
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Step 6: Serve with the lime wedges in the drink.
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Step 7: Try a different type of alcohol.
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Step 8: Substitute a different fruit for the lime
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Step 9: or add fruit to the traditional recipe.
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Step 10: Try a different sweetener instead of sugar.
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Step 11: Use an infused cachaça.
Detailed Guide
Cut it in half, then into quarters.
Use the slices from approximately one quarter of the lime in the drink – 3 to 4 slices.Brazilian recipes typically call for more lime: ½ to even a whole small lime.Adjust the amount to your taste.
It is preferable to use a rocks glass (aka a lowball glass).
Use 2 teaspoons of sugar for a sweeter drink, one for a drink with more of the cachaça flavor.
American bartenders prefer raw sugar,.
Refined white sugar is usually used in Brazil.You can substitute 1 or 2 oz. of simple syrup (50/50 sugar and water by volume) for the sugar. , Muddle them by pressing down and twisting repeatedly with a muddler – a long pestle shaped like a miniature baseball bat.Crush the limes just enough to release their juice.
If you mash them too much, your drink will be bitter.If you don’t have a muddler, just use the back of a spoon. , Crushed ice is best, though cubed will work fine. , Recommendations from American bartenders range from 2 oz. (a little over a shot) for a sweeter, tarter drink,to
2.5 oz. (about two shots) for a stronger drink.Brazilian recipes, which are typically heavier on lime and lower on alcohol, usually call for
1.7oz (50ml)., Enjoy! , A true caipirinha is always made with cachaça, but in Brazil, you’ll find a variety of other takes on the national drink employing different alcohols.
If you don’t have any cachaça on hand, try one of these:
Substitute vodka to make a caipiroska.Caipiroskas mix very well with different fruit pulps.
Substitute white rum for a caipirissima.Rum is a sugar based alcohol like cachaça (from molasses, rather than sugarcane juice) and produces a similar, though less earthy flavor.Because of its simpler flavor profile, rum mixes slightly better with fruit than cachaça.
Substitute sake for a caipisake.These are best made following the traditional recipe, as sake loses its particular flavors and aromas when mixed with fruit. , Pretty much any fruit will work in a caipirinha.Pick ones that you like or that are in season.
Here are some popular fruits, with tips on how to add them:
Tangerine – Substitute ½ a tangerine for the lime to make a caipirinha de tangerina.Strawberry – Substitute 4-5 quartered strawberries for the lime.Passion fruit – Substitute for lime.
Take 1 small passion fruit or ½ a large one, cut it in half crosswise and scrape the pulp in a glass.Pomegranate – Add 4 teaspoons of pomegranate seeds to a caipirinha made with 2 slices of lime.
Muddle the seeds with the lime and sugar.Watermelon – Puree a cup of watermelon (seeds removed) in a food processor, and add it to a traditional caipirinha along with the cachaça.Grapes – Muddle 7 seedless grapes along with 2 lime slices and the sugar.Kiwi – Add one peeled and chopped kiwi to a caipirinha made with ½ a lime.
Muddle the kiwi with the lime and sugar.Pineapple – Add 2 tablespoons of crushed pineapple along with the cachaça in a traditional caipirinha.Raspberries – Muddle 6 raspberries along with the lime and sugar.Kumquats – Muddle 5 kumquats along with the lime and sugar.Guava – To make the popular caipirinha de goiaba, mix 100ml of guava juice and 2 teaspoons of condensed milk, then add the cachaça and ice.
No extra sugar; the condensed milk and guava provide the sweetness., In the US raw sugar is standard, while Brazilians prefer refined sugar.
But there are a number of other sweeteners that can subtly change the flavor of a caipirinha.
Honey – Substitute 1oz. of honey for the sugar.Maple syrup – Substitute
1.5 teaspoons of maple syrup for the sugar.Agave – Substitute 1 teaspoon of agave syrup for the sugar. , Especially when trying a fruity caipirinha, you can really bring out the flavor of the fruit with a fruit-infused cachaça.
To infuse cachaça, dump the fruit and a bottle of cachaça into a glass container (not the original bottle).
Seal and let sit in a dark place for 24-72 hours, then strain and return to the original bottle.Here are few ideas to get you started:
Pineapple infused cachaça – Peel and slice a whole pineapple and cover with a bottle of cachaça.Raspberry infused cachaça – Add
3.5 cups of raspberries per bottle of cachaça.Strawberry infused cachaça – Add 3 cups of strawberries per bottle of cachaça.Chili infused cachaça – Add 1 large Anaheim chili and 3 serrano chilis per liter of cachaça.
This infusion works well with a caipirinha made with cucumber slices muddled along with the sugar and lime.
About the Author
Carol Kelly
Dedicated to helping readers learn new skills in practical skills and beyond.
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