How to make a Caipirnha with Spiegelau

The Perfect Serve Cocktail: Caipirinha

A lady's hand squeezing a lime into the Spiegelau Perfect Serve DOF glass filled with a Capirinha cocktail.

First thing's first: it's pronounced KAI-PEE-REEN-YA.  We'd recommend mastering this first before you attempt the recipe, or risk asking your friends if they'd like you to mix them "a little something you came up with." But one thing's for sure - the national drink of Brazil is sure to satisfy you on a balmy afternoon.

The Caipirinha

History:

As with so many cocktails, there is some question about its origins. One story is that it was created to make the unrefined rums of the late-1800s more palatable, with its combination of sweet and citrus designed to take the edge off.

Another version is that it was used in the early 1900s, in São Paulo, as a remedy for patients with the Spanish Flu. With the addition of garlic and honey, it is still sometimes used to help get over the common cold. The Brazilian version of a hot toddy?

What is certain, however, is that the Caipirinha is the national cocktail of Brazil; it is their most common distilled alcoholic beverage.

About as simple and perfectly balanced as you can get, it's important to use the correct rum to get this one right. Cachaça (pronounced KA-SHA-SA) is made from cane juice not distilled from molasses, like most other rums. Can't get your hands on cachaça? Substitute it for vodka to make a caipiroska.

Known for:

You don't need a skimpy bikini to enjoy one of these on a hot afternoon, but a great latin soundtrack may help get you in the spirit.

Perfect Glass: 

Perfect Serve Double Old Fashioned

A lady's hand squeezing a lime into the Spiegelau Perfect Serve DOF glass filled with a Capirinha cocktail.

The Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 50ml Cahaça
  • 6 Lime Wedges
  • 3 bar spoons of White Cane Sugar (1 spoon = about 5ml)
  • Ice

Method:

  1. Add the limes to your Perfect Serve Mixing Glass, and press down lightly and repeatedly with your muddler to squeeze out the juice. Don't over press!
  2. Transfer to shaker, add cachaça and sugar, and shake.
  3. Fill tumbler with ice.
  4. Strain cocktail into tumbler.

Recipe by Stephan Hinz.

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