Get Inspired by the Caipirinha

We may still be at the mercy of Mother Nature’s erratic spring behaviour, but if there is a cocktail that can channel the bright, bold attitude of summer, it is the Caipirinha. Say goodbye to the over-done margaritas, mojitos and cosmos of past summers and hello to the national cocktail of Brazil.

The Caipirinha is based on cachaça, the country’s answer to rum, which is made from fresh sugar cane juice instead of the traditional molasses. Back in the early 1600s, Brazilian plantation workers left sugar cane juice out in the scorching heat, where it fermented and accidentally created what was eventually distilled and called cachaça. For a long time it was considered liquor for the common man, but eventually cachaça broke free of its social circle and now over 1.5-billion litres are consumed within the country annually.

The Caipirinha is named for both how it is made, being a cachaça and fruit juice beverage, and also for the term ‘caipira’, which refers to someone from the countryside, like the beverage’s humble origins.

The key to a perfect Caipirinha is balance. The combination of muddled lime, sugar and cachaça needs to be in harmony, otherwise one ingredient will stand out and make it too sweet, too sour or too boozy.

Leblon is a luxury brand of cachaça, named after a well-to-do neighbourhood in Rio de Janeiro that is illustrated on their bottle. Their product is available in several Canadian markets, including Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec. It is the perfect fit for this delicious cocktail, which is sure to inspire the laid-back feel of summertime, even through the rain clouds of April.

The Leblon Caipirinha

Ingredients

2 oz. Leblon cachaça

2 tsp. superfine sugar or 1 oz. simple syrup

1/2 lime, cut into wedges

Method

Muddle the lime and sugar in a cocktail shaker. Fill the shaker with ice and add Leblon cachaça. Shake vigorously and serve in a rocks glass. Garnish with a lime wheel.