If you go to Brazil it is more than likely that you will try a caipirinha. Lime and sugar cane alcohol cocktail is really refreshing and energizing for those hot nights. I’ll start with a bit of history and end with a recipe.
It is impossible to talk about the history of this drink without talking about hidden. Sugarcane alcohol invented by the Portuguese in the 16th century is like rum
made from sugar cane. The flavor is very different, this because the cachaça is distilled from the juice of the sugar cane while the rum is made from a by-product of the extraction of sugar (molasses).
At first it was a drink for slaves and the poor, but it soon grew in popularity and became a drink for all Brazilians. Some say that the custom of mixing fruit with the drink was an invention of the slave Indians, the European immigrants did not use many of the fruits that grew in abundance in Brazil. The old distillates probably tasted harsh and unpleasant and a bit of fruit and sugar could probably make it much better, when citrus came along lime with its strong flavor would have been a sure bet.
It was only when ice became common in the early 20th century that the actual caipirinha was invented. It grew a lot in popularity and is today the national drink. Thought to aid digestion, many people drink it with traditional foods like black bean stew. feijoada as well as grill.
Here follows a recipe for a classic caipirinha (1 person):
– Cut a soft lime into eight pieces and remove the white stem in the middle and put in a flat bottomed glass
– Add a large spoonful of sugar and mash it lightly with a masher
– Fill the glass with crushed ice
– Pour and fill to the brim with white cachaça
– Stir briskly 3 or 4 times and serve with a straw
Note that you are supposed to use a “cheap” white cachaça like 51 or Ypioca and that this drink is traditionally stirred.
Enjoy!