Caipirinha (Portuguese pronunciation: [kajpiˈɾĩɲɐ]) is Brazil’s national cocktail, made with cachaça (pronounced [kaˈʃasɐ]), sugar andlime. Cachaça is Brazil’s most common distilled alcoholic beverage. While both rum and cachaça are made from sugarcane-derived products, most rum is made from molasses. Specifically with cachaça, the alcohol results from the fermentation ofsugarcane juice that is afterwards distilled.

Ingredients:

• 5.0 cl (1⅔ fl oz) cachaça
• ½ Lime cut into 4 wedges (or tahiti lime, but not green lemon)
• 2 teaspoons crystal or refined sugar

Preparation:

Place lime and sugar into old fashioned glass and muddle (mash the two ingredients together using amuddler or a wooden spoon). Fill the glass with crushed ice and add the Cachaça.
A wide variety of fresh fruits can be used in place of lime. In the absence of cachaça, vodka can be used.