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Caipirinha
Caipirinha: a whole lime crushed with sugar in the glass, packed with ice and drowned in grassy cachaça
Brazil's national drink lives on every boteco counter in São Paulo, but it tastes best on a hot Saturday beside a pot of feijoada, or handed over from a beach vendor's cart. It is a short, rough-cut drink for adults only: a whole lime chopped into wedges, crushed with sugar right in the glass, packed with crushed ice and drowned in cachaça, the sugarcane spirit with a grassy, faintly funky edge that rum does not have. Each sip moves from sharp lime oil to cold sweetness to a warm cane finish, with a little crunchy sugar at the bottom to stir back up. The usual mistake is pounding the lime to a pulp: the white pith and the core turn bitter within minutes. Cut out the central white strip, press each wedge only until the juice runs and the skin smells of lime oil, then stop. It is ready when the sugar has mostly melted into a cloudy syrup and the glass frosts on the outside. Cachaça is strong, so sip slowly and drink responsibly. Chef's tip: roll the lime hard on the board before cutting and choose thin-skinned, heavy limes; a thick-skinned lime makes a bitter caipirinha however gently you muddle.
- Total time
- 5 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 1
Ingredients
For the caipirinha
- 1 limethin-skinned and juicy
- 2 tsp white sugargranulated or caster
- 3 ½ tbsp cachaçaunaged white (prata); white rum is the nearest substitute
- 5 ½ oz crushed ice
For the alcohol-free version
- 1 lime (optional)
- 2 tsp white sugar (optional)
- 5 ½ oz crushed ice (optional)
- ½ cup soda water (optional)chilled; or chilled coconut water for a softer drink
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Roll 1 lime firmly under your palm, trim both ends, halve it lengthways and slice out the white central strip. Cut each half into 4 wedges.
2 minStep 2: Put the wedges skin side down in a sturdy short glass, add 2 tsp white sugar and press with a muddler 6–8 times, just until the juice runs and the sugar looks wet and pale green. Stop before the skins tear.
1 minStep 3: Fill the glass to the brim with 5 ½ oz crushed ice and pour over 3 ½ tbsp cachaça. Tip everything into a shaker or a second glass and back once to mix, then serve with a stirrer. The outside of the glass should frost within a minute.
1 minStep 4: Alcohol-free version: prepare 1 lime the same way, then muddle it with 2 tsp white sugar in a short glass until the juice runs and the sugar is wet.
2 minStep 5: Alcohol-free version: pack the glass with 5 ½ oz crushed ice, top with ½ cup soda water and stir up from the bottom until most of the sugar has dissolved. Serve at once while it still fizzes.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 190 kcal
- Protein
- 0 g
- Carbs
- 17 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does caipirinha take?
- About 5 minutes in total.
- How many people does it serve?
- 1 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of lime?
- Lemon, same amount.
- What can I use instead of white sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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