World Cup Cocktail: Caipirinha

This weekend the World Cup comes to an end, and what an interesting World Cup it has been. Soccer powerhouses like Spain, Italy and England don't even  make it out of group play, the amazing dance moves from team Colombia, Costa Rica shocking everyone by making it to the quarterfinals, the awesomeness of Tim Howard against Belguim and the recent butt-kicking given to Brazil by Germany, the World Cup has been full of surprises. Whether you are bandwagon soccer fan during the World Cups (which isn't a bad thing) or a soccer lover year round, you can't deny the World Cup can be exciting! Whether you are rooting for Germany, Argentina or just watching to watch, I have a perfect cocktail to make it into a party. 

 

Caipirinha (kai-purr-reen-yah) is the definitely the most popular cocktail in Brazil. A caipirinha is made with cachaça (ca-sha-sa) a sweet Brazilian type rum, made from sugar cane. If you cannot find cachaça, you can use vodka for a caprioska or light rum for a caipirissima which are both similar to a caipirinha.

Ingredients:

- 2 teaspoons of white sugar (the finer the better)

- 1 whole lime, cut into wedges

- 2 ounces of cachaça

- ice cubes

First Step:

Cut the lime into wedges. Cut off the white parts in the middle, they can add bitterness to the drink.

Second Step:

Muddle the lime over sugar. What the hell doe muddle mean, you ask? Basically using a spoon (if you don't have a proper muddling device, which is similar to a pestle form the olden days) you mash the limes into the sugar to release the juice and mix them together.

Third Step:

Fill the glass with ice cube. Add the cachaça and stir.

Fifth step:

Drink and enjoy!

A caipirinha is also a great cocktail to try with other seasonal fruits. One of my favorite adaptions I've tried  was a passion fruit caipirinha. Here are a few other recipes to try if you want to mix it up.

Blueberry Caipirinha

Passionfruit Caipirinha

Spiced Pear Caipirinha

Kumquat Ginger Caipirinha
Tangerine Ginger Caipirinha