IN PRAISE OF THE CAIPIRINHA

The what? Say it with me… Caipirinha: Kai-Peh-Reen-Ya. 

Odd yes, but with this exotic word comes a whole lot of wonderful and our favorite summer drink this year. Sweet and tart at the same time…strong but not overpowering, the Caipirinha is perfect to sip while lounging pool-side on a hot summer day or as we have often done, while cooking up the latest harvest from the garden.

The word caipirinha is a variation of the word caipira, which refers to someone from the countryside…or what we Americans would refer to as a “hillbilly”. Although the stories of the caipirinha's origin vary, the most popular originates in 1918, in the state of São Paulo. Starting as a beverage made with lemon, garlic and honey, its medicinal purpose was to treat patients of Spanish flu and today is still used to treat small colds. Distilled spirits were not an uncommon “home remedy”. Eventually the garlic and honey were replaced by sugar and ice and the national cocktail of Brazil was born…a not so well kept secret these days. Our introduction to this marvelous concoction came via Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown (a great show for those who love to watch good food and great travels).

Like a lot of our favorite recipes, it is simple but flavorful. The liquor for this tasteful wonder is Cachaca… What? Cachaça: Ken-Shah-Suh. Formerly known as Brazilian Rum, there are more than two thousand words to refer to the Brazilian national distillate. Some of these nicknames are: abre-coração (heart-opener), água-benta (holy water), bafo-de-tigre (tiger breath), and limpa-olho (eye-wash).

Unlike rum that is distilled with Molasses, Cachaca is distilled from sugar cane juice.
Beware though, not all brands of Cachaca are equal. The type you want to use is White Cachaca and is usually bottled immediately after distillation and tends to be cheaper. Our favorite by far is Pitu.

Here are the necessary ingredients:

1/2 lime
2 ounces of cachaça
sugar to taste (about 1 TBSP)
ice cubes

Place lime wedges and sugar in a rocks glass. With a muddler press down and twist the limes to release the juice (and the oils in the peel). Add the cachaça and stir the drink, fill up with ice and sit back and enjoy you hillbilly!