Crush a few ripe strawberries along with the lime and sugar, and the classic Caipirinha turns deep red and a little softer. The lime oils and grassy cachaça are still there, but the berries add juicy sweetness that makes it one of the most popular fruit versions of the drink.
½
lime cut into wedges, white core removed
3
strawberries ripe, hulled and halved
2 tsp
sugar white cane sugar, or brown if you prefer
1¾ oz
cachaçae.g. Ypióca · Leblon · Sagatiba · Velho Barreiro · Pitú
¼ oz
strawberry syrup only if the berries lack sweetness (optional)
Garnish: Strawberry and lime wedge · Ice: Crushed ice
Strawberry Caipirinha
Fresh strawberry and zesty lime with a grassy, slightly funky cachaça backbone. Strong but refreshing, and it softens as the crushed ice melts.
The Caipirinha is Brazil's national cocktail and is recognised by the IBA as a classic. Its basic idea, lime and sugar muddled with cachaça, the sugarcane spirit made from fresh cane juice, goes back well into the 20th century. Its exact origin is disputed; one widely told story links it to a lime, garlic and honey remedy from the state of São Paulo.
In Brazil, fruit versions are often called caipifruta and are sold at beach kiosks with whatever fruit is in season. Strawberry is among the most common, and fruit versions spread quickly in Germany when the Caipirinha became a bar staple there in the 1990s. Fresh berries give a brighter result than strawberry syrup.
A Brazilian spirit distilled from fresh sugarcane juice rather than molasses, which gives it a grassier, more vegetal flavour than most rums.
Yes, let them thaw a little first so they muddle easily. They release a lot of juice, so you may need less syrup.
White cane sugar dissolves faster and keeps the flavour clean. Brown sugar adds caramel notes; both are common.
The perfect sound
Berry sweet sunshine on Copacabana.
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