Caipirinha

Prep: 3 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Total: 3 mins
Serving: 1 serving
Yield: 1 cocktail

The caipirinha (kai-purr-REEN-yah) is the national drink of Brazil. It's the most popular cocktail in the South American country, and everyone has their own way of making it. Today, it is a hit worldwide and should be on every home and pro bartender's essential drink list.

Two caipirinha cocktails in clear glasses garnished with lime

The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

When Was the Caipirinha Invented?

Although it's ingrained in Brazilian culture, the history of the caipirinha is not clear. Some stories dated it to the 19th century, when it was enjoyed on sugarcane plantations. Another account says that it evolved from a medicinal tonic of cachaça, green lemon, honey, and garlic used during the Spanish flu epidemic of the early 20th century.

What Ingredients Do I Need?

The basic caipirinha recipe is straightforward and requires just three ingredients: cachaça, lime, and sugar. A favorite summertime cocktail, the caipirinha is one of the most refreshing drinks you can mix up. It's the perfect introduction for anyone new to cachaça and an excellent way to explore and compare different brands. Plus, it can serve as inspiration for many other tasty drinks.

What is Cachaça?

Like the old-fashioned and the mojito, this is a muddled cocktail, though the liquor of choice here is cachaça. Sometimes erroneously called Brazilian rum, it's distilled from fresh sugarcane juice rather than molasses. Cachaça is not as sweet as rum and has a grassy, vegetal taste that is wonderful when enhanced with the caipirinha's sweet lime flavor.

What's the Difference Between the Caipirinha and Mojito?

Though they're constructed in similar ways and are equally refreshing, the caipirinha and mojito are distinctly different. The common ingredients are sugar and fresh lime, and both cocktails employ a muddler, but that's where the similarities end. The Cuban mojito uses mint and club soda and features rum, which lacks the funky herbaceous taste of cachaça. While soda makes its way into some adaptations of the caipirinha, it is not a traditional ingredient.

Can't Find Cachaça?

When the caipirinha gained international fame, bartenders began to remake the cocktail. Not only were various flavors added, but it also became common to swap the cachaça out for another liquor. Using the same recipe, these variations are not true caipirinhas, though they have taken on similar names. For example, the caipirila uses tequila, the caipirissima uses white rum, the caipiroska uses vodka, and the caipisake uses sake.

Tips for Making the Best Caipirinha

  • Finer crystals—Superfine (or caster) sugar is a better choice for cocktails because the finer crystals dissolve more easily. This is particularly useful in a cocktail like a caipirinha, which doesn't have a lot of liquid or hard-core mixing.
  • Grind it yourself—Don't worry about hunting down a specialty sugar. It's very easy to transform ordinary sugar into superfine sugar with a food processor or blender.
  • Sugar range—Use the recommended range of sugar to customize the cocktail's sweetness to your taste and the cachaça you're pouring. Some cachaças are sweeter than others, and quite a few are aged, so there are times when less sugar creates a better drink.
  • Simple syrup—Though not traditional, simple syrup is a good substitute for superfine sugar; use about 3/4 ounce of syrup. Agave nectar and honey syrup can also act as the sweetener.

"The caipirinha is a great warm-weather drink that every cocktail maker should have in their repertoire. It is basically a muddled daiquiri, but the brightness of the muddled limes and the cachaça set it apart. This recipe follows the traditional recipe which is built right in the glass. No additional tools required." —Tom Macy

Caipirinha in a glass with lime wedges
A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

  • 1/2 medium lime, plus lime wheel for garnish

  • 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 teaspoons superfine sugar, to taste

  • 2 ouncescachaça

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Caipirinha ingredients gathered

    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

  2. Cut 1/2 medium lime into small wedges. Cut 1 lime wheel from the remaining lime half and set aside.

    Lime sliced into wedges on a cutting board with a paring knife

    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

  3. Place the lime wedges and 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 teaspoons superfine sugar into an old-fashioned glass and muddle well.

    Muddling lime and sugar together in a glass

    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

  4. Top with 2 ounces cachaça, and stir well.

    Muddled lime and sugar added to caipirinha

    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

  5. Fill the glass with small ice cubes or cracked ice, stir again, and garnish with the reserved lime wheel. Serve and enjoy.

    Caipirinha with ice and a lime garnish

    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga 

Feeling Adventurous? Try This:

  • Cool me off—Transform the lime-cachaça mix into a summer treat by making ice pops.
  • Berry me—Toss a few berries into the glass for a raspberry caipirinha, or try a combination of blueberries with lemon and lime wedges.
  • Twist it up—For a spiced citrus twist, mix up a kumquat-ginger caipirinha.
  • Chill out—A ​spiced pear caipirini is ideal for colder months with its mix of pear nectar, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
  • Shake it up—The caipirini is the shaken version that serves the drink martini-style

How Strong Is the Caipirinha?

Much like other liquor-only muddled cocktails, there is not much in the caipirinha to dilute the liquor. Factoring in a little lime juice and a meager amount of dilution, its alcohol content falls around 30 percent ABV (60 proof). It's always going to be slightly lower than the cachaça's bottling strength, so this is not a weak drink.