Caipirinha’s

I have a great, new summer drink for y’all—Caipirinha’s. This is a Brazilian drink that some friends of mine who lived there introduced to me. They are refreshing yet have quite a nice bite to them. The liquor used is cachaca, which is derived from sugar cane (similar to rum but less sweet). This liquor is then off-set with the refreshing taste of lime sweetened with sugar. It is a great drink to enjoy on a summer evening, but be careful—these drinks may look innocent, but they are quite strong!

I bet the inventors of the “Brazilian bikini” were drinking these when they came up with the idea that bikinis that show ladies’ cheeks are a good idea…

Here is how my friend, Zaidee, makes them (per drink):

• 1 lime
• 2 tsp sugar
• 2 shots of cachaça
• ice cubes

1. Cut lime into quarters and squeeze into an old fashioned glass. Then throw the lime quarters into the glass.
2. Add sugar. With a muddler smash the limes and sugar together. (This helps bring out more of the lime flavor out and also helps dissolve the sugar. If you do not have a muddler, try using a wooden spoon.)
3. Mix in cachaca and then add ice until the glass is full and mix. (Ideally, you want the glass to have lots of ice to cool off the drink and help off-set the strength of the cachaca.)

Enjoy!