Caipirinha Recipe to Celebrate the New Year

Yes, in Brazil we also toast the new year with champagne and we love good wine. But nothing beats preparing a fresh caipirinha to enjoy with family and friends :) 

Caipirinha may be the most Brazilian of drinks. It is made with Cachaça, a Brazilian spirit made from sugar cane. Because rum is also made from unrefined sugar, U.S. stores tend to put cachaça and rum on the same shelf. The drinks, however, are not similar.

The word comes from caipira, which is a person from the countryside. Caipirinha means "little person from the country". Brazilians use lots of diminutives to indicate either size or affection. As I see it, the diminutive is used here to show affection.

It is believed that the indigenous people and the slaves created the caipirinha. Many slaves worked in the sugar cane plantations and in the production of sugar. What was left of this production was a fermented beverage known as "cane wine". The Spanish called it "cachaza". The Jesuit referred to it as "augoa ardente" or "water that burns". In Brazil, we say aguardente. 

The cachaza was used to feed animals and given to slaves. The slaves used to mix their cane wine with fruit juice. This mix was very used in religious ceremonies and parties. Lime was probably the most used fruit in this mix. And that is likely how caipirinha was created.

As you see, the original caipirinha is made with cachaça and lime. The same drink made with vodka is called caipirosca. The "caipirinha de sake" is also a big hit today. Today you can find caipirinhas and caipiroscas done with virtually any fruit: they are called caipifruta. 

It is difficult to describe how wonderful it is to be at the beach on a beautiful, sunny day in Brazil, drinking caipirinhas made with fresh fruit :)

The good news: It is easy to prepare a delicious caipirinha!

You will need:

2 table spoons of granulated sugar (brown sugar makes it even more delicious)

1 lime (or 2 small limes) 

2 1/2 oz of cachaça (the quality of the cachaça, of course, is of the essence)

Ice (crushed or in cubes; I love it with crushed ice)

Note: As a curiosity, in Brazil we have only one word for lime and lemon, which is "limão". If you are in Brazil, you want the green ones for your caipirinhas.

Preparation:

1. Wash the lime and cut it in 8 wedges (or in quarters, depending on its size) -- not round slices!
   
2. Seed the limes and remove the white parts in the core (this will prevent the drink from being bitter)
   
3. Put the limes in a glass and the sugar over them
   
4. Muddle (smash) them; you want to release the lime juice and dissolve the sugar 
   
5. Add the ice and a bit of cachaça, and mix it well
   
6. Add the rest of the cachaça and shake it well (or stirr it really well). This is optional: Try mixing everything in the blender without turning the ice into water
7. Your drink is ready! Traditionally, caipirinha is served in a short, wide glass.
   

Adding mint leaves will give a special refreshing touch to your caipirinha. 

Have fun :) Just beware that cachaça is not for the faint of heart.

Now excuse me: I have to go make my own caipirinha ;-)

Caipirinha Vocabulary

Lime	Limão
Sugar	Açúcar
Spoon	Colher
Table spoon	Colher de sopa
Ice	Gelo
To mix	Misturar
To shake	Agitar
Glass	Copo
To drink	Beber, Tomar
Delicious	Delicioso/a
Cheers!	Saúde!

For information about classes and links to Brazilian books, cd's, dvd's, and more visit www.StreetSmartBrazil.com

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Picture thanks to Elenadan in Flicker's Creative Commons