The Word of the Month! - “Caipirinha” !!

Repeat after me; “Caipirinha”. It’s Brazil’s national cocktail and it’s on the docket for our Dinner Club “Brazilian Churrascaria” coming up in a little over a week! Can you tell that I’m excited about this one? Trying new things is always a blast for me – for us – as a group, and this is no exception. A drink I’ve never had? I’m sure there are many of them, but this one is truly different – keep reading!

It starts with a type of liquor that I’m assuming most of you don’t keep on hand in the home liquor cabinet (because I'm sure I don't): Cachaça (according to a few Google searches, it's pronounced ‘ka-shah- sa’). Cachaça is made from fermented sugar cane and “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 of sugarcane juice that is afterwards distilled.” (1)


The Caipirinha is a basic drink made from Cachaça, sugar and lime. “The word "caipirinha" is the diminutive version of the word "caipira", which refers to someone from the countryside, being an almost exact equivalent of the American English hillbilly.” (1) I think I speak for our entire Dinner Club group in saying that, hillbilly drink or not, we intend to give it the credit it is due as the most prominent cocktail of Brazil!


“Cachaça, like rum, has two varieties: unaged (white) and aged (gold). White cachaça is usually bottled immediately after distillation and tends to be cheaper…It is often used to prepare caipirinha and other beverages in which cachaça is an ingredient. Dark cachaça, usually seen as the "premium" variety, is aged in wood barrels and is meant to be drunk straight (it is usually aged for up to 3 years though some "ultra premium" cachaças have been aged for up to 15 years). Its flavor is influenced by the type of wood the barrel is made from.” (1)

Besides the Caipirinha, the many different kinds of "batida's" or "smoothies" made with rum or cachaça sound fantastic too! By the way, "batidas" can also be made without the alchohol for a smoothie without the kick! Here's a quick list just from Google searching "Brazilian cocktails" that comes up for inspiration on recipes to try:

• Tangerine-Ginger Caipirinhas, Kumquat Caipirinha and the Mango Rum Batida found at: www.epicurious.com
• Lemongrass or Mango Caipirinha's found at: www.foodista.com
• The recipe for "Batida de Coco" can be found at: www.supercocktails.com, www.maria-brazil.org and www.suite101.com

I don't know which one's our group will show up with, but I guarantee I'm anxious to give them a a try! Below are a few more recipes for Caipirinha’s; a couple variations on the basic and one that is a fun adaptation of the original. Wait until summer and have the national drink of Brazil on your patio; or do as we’re doing and MAKE a reason to try something new. Invite some friends over, look back at this blog and host a Brazilian party all your own!


(1) Denotes quoted directly from http://www.wikipedia.org/

Caipirinha

Found at: http://www.chow.com/

INGREDIENTS

• 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
• 4 Key limes, halved and seeded, or 2 small, juicy limes, quartered
• 2 ounces cachaça

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Sprinkle the sugar over the limes, and muddle them in the mixing glass part of a Boston shaker until the sugar is dissolved and the lime juice is released. Pour an old-fashioned glassful of cracked ice into the mixing glass, add the cachaça, and shake to incorporate. Return all the contents to the old-fashioned glass.

Variations:
Caipirissima: Use rum in place of the cachaça.
Caipirosca: Use vodka in place of the cachaça.


Caipirinha II
Found at: http://www.epicurious.com/
Gourmet | August 1999
**Makes 8 Caipirinhas.

Ingredients:

15 limes
1/2 cup superfine sugar
1 1/2 cups cachaça

Garnish: lime wedges and/or sugarcane sticks

Preparation:

Squeeze enough juice from limes to measure 2 cups. In a pitcher, stir together lime juice and sugar until sugar is dissolved. Add ice cubes and cachaça, stirring until combined well. Serve drinks garnished with lime wedges and/or sugarcane.

Passion-Fruit Caipirinha
Found at: http://www.epicurious.com/
Gourmet | June 2005
This traditional Brazilian drink gets an extra dose of tropical flavor from passion-fruit juice.

Yield: Serves 1

Ingredients:

1/4 fresh lime, cut into 4 pieces
2 teaspoons superfine granulated sugar
3 oz (6 tablespoons) pure passion-fruit juice (preferably Looza brand)
1 1/2 oz (3 tablespoons) cachaça

Preparation:

Add lime wedges and sugar to an 8-ounce short glass and muddle by pounding and pressing with a wooden spoon until sugar is dissolved. Fill glass with ice and add passion-fruit juice and cachaça, then stir well.

Cachaca