Caipirinha

Caipirinha is Brazil’s national cocktail, made with cachaça, sugar and lime. Cachaça, also known as caninha, or any one of a multitude of traditional names, is Brazil’s most common distilled alcoholic beverage.

8 oz Cachaça.

4 Large seedless limes, halved

½ cup Sugar, refined

Crushed ice as needed

4 Lime wedges

OPTIONAL (Instead of limes, use any of the following):

1 C. Passion fruit pulp, with seeds

1 C. Pineapple, skin removed, roughly diced

1 C. Kiwi, skin removed, roughly diced

1 C. Cashew fruit pulp, roughly diced

1 C. Strawberries, stems removed, diced

½ cup Lemon grass, green leaves, finely diced

 

Using a knife, remove the pithy midsection from the limes and quarter. Divide the limes and sugar between 4 cocktail glasses. Using a wooden muller, mull the sugar and limes until the sugar dissolves.  Add 2 ounces of cachaça to each glass. Fill each glass with ice and top with a cocktail shaker. Vigorously shake each cocktail individually for several seconds and return to the glasses. 5. Garnish with a lime wedge and serve immediately.