Perfect World Cup Brazilian Caipirinha Recipe

Peter Salerno and the staff at Peter Salerno Inc. are in love with the 2014 World Cup! From the raucous crowds at venues like the Maracanã and Castelão, to the gorgeous beach and rainforest landscapes of Brazil, to the “beautiful game” of soccer (football!) being played, there are plenty of reasons to be enamored with the 2014 World Cup (la Copa Mundial, for our Spanish speaking friends!).

Not everyone is lucky enough to attend the 2014 World Cup in Brazil itself, but you can do your very best to make yourself feel like you’re in Rio or Sao Paulo – and we can help!

The official Brazilian national cocktail is called Caipirinha – and if you’ve never tried this sweet and delicious treat, the 2014 World Cup is a perfect time to start. Caipirinha is a fascinating, refreshing, distinctly Brazilian cocktail, and making it will feel a lot like the steps you take to create an old fashioned or mojito.

The base of any worthy Caipirinha is cachaça, which is sugar cane hard liquor primarily famous in Brazil. However, there is no substitute for cachaça in a Caipirinha (in fact, if you substitute it with rum, Brazilians have an entirely different name for the drink). Cachaça isn’t impossible to find, however, especially in and around Brazilian or Portuguese neighborhoods.

2014 World Cup Brazil: Caipirinha Recipe

This recipe yields one highball glass of Caipirinha. Multiply ingredients as needed.

Ingredients

• 1 lime
• 2 oz. cachaça
• Sugar to taste (usually 2-3 tsp.)
• Ice cubes

Preparation

• Cut lime into wedges (use at least half the lime, cut into 6-8 small wedges).
• Place lime wedges and sugar into empty highball (“rocks”) glass.
• Muddle the lime wedges and sugar well.
• Fill the glass with ice cubes over the muddled lime and sugar.
• Pour cachaça into the highball glass.
• Stir well.
• For presentation: garnish with either a lime wedge or lime wheel