The best part of a Caipirinha is the moment the muddler presses lime oil and juice into the sugar. This version keeps that step, piles on crushed ice and replaces the cachaça with ginger ale, which adds gentle spice and sparkle.
1
lime cut into eighths, ends and white core removed
2 tsp
sugar brown or white cane sugar
3½ oz
ginger ale well chilled
Garnish: Lime wheel and mint sprig · Ice: Crushed ice
Virgin Caipirinha
Sharp, fresh lime with caramel notes from the cane sugar and a soft, gingery fizz. Very refreshing and less sweet than most soft drinks.
The Virgin Caipirinha is an alcohol-free take on Brazil's national cocktail, in which lime and sugar are muddled and mixed with cachaça over ice. The word virgin in a drink name simply means that the spirit has been left out, a convention bars have used for decades, as in the Virgin Mary or Virgin Colada.
There is no fixed recipe. Some bars top the muddled lime with soda water, others with lemon-lime soda, and many with ginger ale, as in this version, which gives more body and a light ginger warmth to replace the character of the missing spirit. Because it is quick and uses ingredients that most bars always have, it has become a common alcohol-free option on German cocktail menus.
Yes. Lime, sugar and ginger ale contain no alcohol, as long as you use a regular soft drink.
Yes, lemon-lime soda works too. It is sweeter, so reduce the sugar a little.
Brown sugar gives caramel notes and a darker colour, white cane sugar a cleaner, fresher taste. Both are fine.
The perfect sound
Lime fresh and alcohol free Brazilian vibe.
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