Caipirinha (Portuguese pronunciation: [kajpiˈɾĩɲɐ]) is a Brazilian cocktail, of São Paulo origin,[1] with cachaça (sugarcane hard liquor), sugar, lime, and ice.[2] The drink is prepared by mixing the fruit and the sugar together, then adding the liquor.

Caipirinha
IBA official cocktail
Caipirinha
TypeCocktail
Base spirit
ServedOn the rocks: poured over ice
Standard garnishsugarcane, lime (ingredient)
Standard drinkware
Old fashioned glass
IBA specified
ingredients†
PreparationPlace lime and sugar into a double old fashioned glass and muddle gently. Fill the glass with cracked ice and add Cachaça. Stir gently to involve ingredients.
NotesCaipiroska – instead of cachaça use vodka
Caipirinha recipe at International Bartenders Association

Known and consumed nationally and internationally, caipirinha is one of the most famous components of Brazilian cuisine, being the most popular national recipe worldwide[3] and often considered the best drink in the country[4] and one of the best cocktails/drinks in the world, having reached third place in 2024, according to the specialized website TasteAtlas.[5]

Due to its importance and popularity, the caipirinha was declared Brazilian Cultural Heritage in 2003;[6] in 2019, it was considered Intangible Heritage of Rio de Janeiro, despite its origins in São Paulo.[7] It is part of the list of official cocktails of the International Bartenders Association (IBA).[8]

History

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Although the origin of the drink is unknown, there is a consensus in the academic community that Caipirinha was invented in the interior of São Paulo, Brazil, in 1918.[9] Some accounts say it came about around 1918 in the region of Alentejo in Portugal, with a popular recipe made with lemon, garlic, and honey, indicated for patients with the Spanish flu. Another account is that Caipirinha is based on Poncha, an alcoholic drink from Madeira, Portugal.[10] The main ingredient is aguardente de cana, which is made from sugar cane. Sugar cane production was switched from Madeira to Brazil by the Portuguese as they needed more land to plant it on. Before this people in Madeira had already created aguardente de cana, which was the ancestor to cachaça.[11]

Today, it is still used as a tonic for the common cold. Commonly, practitioners add some distilled spirits to home remedies to expedite the therapeutic effect. Aguardente was commonly used. "Until one day, someone decided to remove the garlic and honey. Then added a few tablespoons of sugar to reduce the acidity of the lime. The ice came next, to ward off the heat," explains Carlos Lima, executive director of IBRAC (Brazilian Institute of Cachaça).[12][13]

According to historians, the caipirinha was invented by landowning farmers in the region of Piracicaba, the interior of the State of São Paulo during the 19th century as a local drink for 'high standard' events and parties (parties at Barão de Serra Negra palace), a reflection of the strong sugarcane culture in the region.[14] Original recipe use a kind of Lemon called "galeguinho", a small yellow/green lemon very common in São Paulo countryside houses' backyards. Currently, it is made with a bigger green lemon called Tahiti lemon, a specie of lemon more spread around the country markets.

The caipirinha is the strongest national cocktail of Brazil,[15] and is imbibed in restaurants, bars, and many households throughout the country. Once almost unknown outside Brazil, the drink became more popular and more widely available in recent years, in large part due to the rising availability of first-rate brands of cachaça outside Brazil.[16] The International Bartenders Association designated it as one of its Official Cocktails, as a Contemporary Classic.[8]

Name

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The word caipirinha is the diminutive of the word caipira, which in Brazilian Portuguese refers to someone from the countryside (specifically, someone from the rural parts of south-central Brazil), similar to US English hillbilly or the Lowland Scots teuchter. Caipira is a two-gender noun. The diminutive mostly refers to the drink, in which case it is a feminine noun.

Variations

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  • Although Brazilian law (Decree 6.871[17] based on Normative Ruling 55, from Oct. 31, 2008)[18] as well as the International Bartenders Association (IBA)[8] allow the use of the name caipirinha for the version with lime only, the term is often used to describe any cachaça-and-fruit-juice drink with the fruit's name (e.g., a passionfruit caipirinha, kiwifruit caipirinha or strawberry caipirinha).[19][20][21][22]
  • Caipifruta is a very popular caipirinha drink in Brazil, consisting of cachaça, crushed fresh fruits (either singly or in combination), and crushed ice. The most popular fresh fruits used to create caipifrutas are tangerine, lime, kiwifruit, passion fruit, pineapple, lemon, grapes, mango, cajá (Spondias mombin fruit), and caju (cashew fruit).

In the world

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Bar in London with the sign "Caipirinha"

Having great popularity around the world, countless variations of this drink are known. In some regions, brown sugar is used instead of refined sugar. Even in Brazil, variants with artificial sweeteners or a wide variety of fruits can be found. Furthermore, cachaça is sometimes replaced by vodka (caipiroska, trademark registered by Smirnoff), Licor Beirão (known as caipirão), rum (caipiríssima, trademark registered by Bacardi), sake "Caipirinhas" (saquerinha) or wine (caipivinho) are also made.[23] In Cape Verde, caipirinha is also prepared with grog, a strong local rum.[24][25]

Derivations

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There are many derivations of caipirinha in which other spirits are substituted for cachaça. Some include:

See also

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References

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  1. ^ CASCUDO, L. da C. Prelúdio da cachaça. [S.l.]: Global, 2006.
  2. ^ "Lista de Publicações" [List of Publications]. senado.gov.br (in Brazilian Portuguese). Federal Senate of Brazil. Archived from the original on 2012-02-24. Retrieved 2015-06-15.
  3. ^ "Segredos da caipirinha perfeita". Folha de S.Paulo (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2022-12-18. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
  4. ^ "Caipirinha é o melhor drink brasileiro, elege TasteAtlas; veja os outros". Só Notícia Boa (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2024-06-30. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
  5. ^ "72 Best Alcoholic Beverage Recipes". TasteAtlas. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
  6. ^ Ferri, Marcelo (2023-10-04). "Caipirinha: Patrimônio Cultural do Brasil". Hi-Mundim (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2024-07-27.
  7. ^ Diniz, Márcio. "De origem paulista, caipirinha é declarada patrimônio imaterial do Rio". Catraca Livre (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2024-07-27.
  8. ^ a b c "IBA Official Cocktails". International Bartenders Association. Archived from the original on March 7, 2015. Retrieved 2015-03-18.
  9. ^ Garcia, Roosevelt (2022-01-20). "A caipirinha faz 100 anos" [The caipirinha turns 100 years old]. vejasp.abril.com.br (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on 2022-02-01. Retrieved 2023-01-01.
  10. ^ Ehrlich, Richard (2002-10-20). "My Round: Madeira mixes things with the best". Independent.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2014-12-21. Retrieved 2012-08-22.
  11. ^ "SUGAR´S ROUTE IN MADEIRA". Retrieved 2012-12-02.[permanent dead link]
  12. ^ Ferrareze, Ana. "A história da caipirinha" [The history of caipirinha]. revistacasaejardim.globo.com (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on 2011-11-17. Retrieved 2012-12-02. Até que um dia alguém resolveu tirar o alho e o mel. Depois, acrescentaram umas colheres de açúcar para reduzir a acidez do limão. O gelo veio em seguida, para espantar o calor [Until one day, someone decided to remove the garlic and honey. Then added a few tablespoons of sugar to reduce the acidity of the lime. The ice came next, to ward off the heat]
  13. ^ Rodrigues, Rafael. "CAIPIRINHA". drinquepedia.com (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on 2013-09-27.
  14. ^ (in Portuguese) Cascudo, Luis da Camara (2006). "Prelúdio da cachaça" - Global Editora
  15. ^ Mackay, Jordan (2006-08-10). "Made in Brazil". 7x7. Archived from the original on 2009-02-14.
  16. ^ Willey, Rob (February 2006). "Everyday with Rachael Ray". Cane and Able. Retrieved 2007-01-14. The caipirinha—a sour-sweet combination of crushed limes, sugar, and cachaça— become the darling of American bartenders, and first-rate cachaça is at last finding a place on American liquor-store shelves.
  17. ^ "Decree 6871/2009" (in Portuguese). Brazilian Republic Presidency's Civil Office. 2009. Retrieved 2015-03-18.
  18. ^ "Ruling Instruction No. 55 from 31/10/2008" (in Portuguese). Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture (MAPA). 2008. Archived from the original on 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2015-03-18.
  19. ^ "CAIPIRINHA DE MARACUJÁ" (in Brazilian Portuguese). Destilaria de Cachaça Maison Leblon. 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-04-27. Retrieved 2021-04-27.
  20. ^ "9 receitas de caipirinha de kiwi para quem ama um sabor diferente" (in Brazilian Portuguese). Receiteria. 2021. Retrieved 2021-04-28.
  21. ^ "Caipirinha de morango: como fazer receita do drink com a fruta e pimenta-rosa" (in Brazilian Portuguese). Portal O Tempo. 2021. Retrieved 2021-04-27.
  22. ^ "Caipirinha de abacaxi: 10 receitas que vão transformar seu dia em uma festa" (in Brazilian Portuguese). Dicas de Mulher. 2021. Retrieved 2021-04-27.
  23. ^ "Cinco receitas de caipirinhas e caipiroskas". Bom Gourmet. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
  24. ^ "Top-5 special drinks Cape Verde". CapeVerdeIslands.org. 2017-06-19. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
  25. ^ "Corinthians na África? As semelhanças entre Brasil e Cabo Verde". Universo Online (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2024-07-27.
  26. ^ Wolfinger, Alejandro Morales,Eric (17 July 2012). "Caipiroska Recipe". Bon Appetit. Retrieved 2 May 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  27. ^ "Sakerinha: A Japanese-Brazilian Fusion Recipe". Portuguese For Spanish Speakers.
  28. ^ "Top 10 Brazilian cocktails - Brasilbar - Brasilbar". www.brasilbar.com. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  29. ^ "Caipirão Promotional website". Caipirão. 2005–2007. Archived from the original on 2012-06-21. Retrieved 2012-06-01.
  30. ^ "Camparinha Cocktail Recipe with Picture". Complete Cocktails. 2013.
  31. ^ "Caipirissima Cocktail Recipe - Difford's Guide".
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