The recipe
for your table
Put the lime wedges and sugar in a sturdy glass.
Muddle: press the lime firmly so the juice and oils are released.
Fill the glass with crushed ice and pour the cachaça over it.
Stir firmly from bottom to top and serve with a short straw.
The story
The Caipirinha (“little country girl” in Portuguese) originated around 1918 in the state of São Paulo, probably as a home remedy for the Spanish flu made with lime, garlic and honey. The garlic disappeared, sugar and plenty of ice took its place, and the medicine became a festive drink. Cachaça—distilled from fresh sugarcane juice, unlike rum, which is made from molasses—is South America’s oldest spirit. With the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the Rio Olympics, the rest of the world discovered en masse what Brazil had known for a century.
The right glass
The Caipirinha is made in the glass, so you need a low, thick-walled tumbler that can withstand muddling. Choose a 32 to 37 cl model with a heavy base—you can press limes in it without worry. The wide opening makes stirring easy and shows off the green fruit beautifully. You can also use this type of glass for your Old Fashioned or whisky on the rocks. For a thick-walled glass that can withstand a muddler, take a look at our old fashioned glasses.
Chef & Sommelier Vigne Tumbler 37 cl (6 pieces)
Eclat Longchamp Tumbler 32 cl (4 pieces)
Both sets — €45.94 together, free shipping from €50.
Variations & twists
With vodka, it’s called a Caipiroska; with sake, a Caipisake—but cachaça remains the soul. Try muddling in strawberries, passion fruit, or kiwi: in Brazil, the fruit caipirinha ('caipifruta') is at least as popular as the original. Brown cane sugar gives it a deeper, almost caramel-like character. Looking for more inspiration? Browse all 80 cocktail recipes.
Servingtip
Roll the lime firmly across the counter before cutting it: this releases more juice. No cachaça at home? With vodka, it’s called a Caipiroska—also delicious, but not quite the same celebration.
Muddling: how to do it right
Cut the lime into eight wedges and remove the white core, as that is the source of the bitter flavor. Put the wedges and two teaspoons of cane sugar in a heavy-bottomed glass and press them with a muddler: twist and press, don’t pound. The sugar acts as an abrasive on the peel and releases the oils, and those oils are precisely what make the difference between lemonade and a real Caipirinha. Five or six presses are enough. If you continue until the peels break apart, the bitter white pith will be released after all.
Caipirinha or Mojito
Both are fresh, green, and built around lime, but their bases are fundamentally different. Cachaça is distilled from freshly pressed sugarcane juice, which gives it a grassy, slightly wild flavor; rum is made from molasses, a by-product of sugar production, and is rounder and sweeter. On top of that, the Mojito has mint and sparkling water, making it long and refreshing, while the Caipirinha stays short and concentrated: 6 cl of cachaça in a glass full of crushed ice, nothing else. That also immediately explains the difference in strength between the two.
Caipiroska and other substitutes
No cachaça at home? Vodka is the usual substitute, in which case the cocktail is called a Caipiroska: more neutral, cleaner, and without that grassy undertone. With sake, you make a Caipisake, softer and lightly sweet with rice. White rum works too, although it takes you in the direction of a Mojito without mint. The main thing to know is that cachaça is why this cocktail tastes the way it does, and that you can get a bottle for as little as around twenty euros. Choose a cachaça prata: unaged and clear; aged golden bottles are better enjoyed neat.
How much alcohol does it contain?
It contains 6 cl of cachaça, usually between 38 and 48 percent alcohol, and nothing else besides lime, sugar, and ice. Once the crushed ice has melted, it ends up at roughly 15 to 20 percent alcohol in the glass—about twice as strong as a glass of wine and considerably stronger than a Mojito, which stays below 10 percent because of the sparkling water. Its refreshing taste masks this, which is why this cocktail is so often underestimated. If you want it lighter, top up the glass with 4 cl of sparkling water after stirring.
Frequently asked questions
What is in a Caipirinha?
A Caipirinha consists of 6 cl of cachaça, one whole lime cut into eight wedges, and two teaspoons of cane sugar, topped with crushed ice. That's all. First muddle the lime and sugar in the glass so that both the juice and the oils from the peel are released.
What is the difference between a mojito and a Caipirinha?
The base spirit and the mint. A Mojito is made with white rum, mint, and sparkling water, while a Caipirinha is made with cachaça, lime, and cane sugar, without mint and without bubbles. Cachaça is distilled from fresh sugarcane juice, while rum is made from molasses, which gives the Caipirinha a grassier, more direct flavor.
What is the alcohol percentage of a Caipirinha?
A Caipirinha ends up at roughly 15 to 20 percent alcohol in the glass. It contains 6 cl of cachaça, typically at 38 to 48 percent, and nothing else besides lime, sugar, and melting ice to dilute it. This makes it one of the stronger cocktails, despite its refreshing taste.
What is a substitute for cachaça in a Caipirinha?
Vodka is the usual substitute; in that case, the cocktail is called a Caipiroska. With sake, you can make a Caipisake. Both work, but cachaça provides the grassy depth that characterizes the original. Always muddle in a thick-walled glass; see our tumbler glasses.
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