Small Bites

I love a good caipirinha in the summer — and it’s one of those drinks you can make that will impress your friends, even though it’s so super simple to do. All you need are some limes, sugar and a bottle of cachaca, the Brazilian liquor made from sugarcane.

The recipe, after the jump.

For each drink you’ll be making, you’ll need 1/2 a lime, 1 tablespoons sugar and 3 tablespoons of cachaca.

Cut the lime how ever you like. Slices are nice. Or this time, I did eighths:

Put half a lime into each low ball glass.

Add 1 tablespoon sugar to each glass:

Muddle the limes and the sugar together so you’re releasing the oil from the rind of the lime and dissolving the sugar into the lime juice:

Then add ice. I keep some crushed ice in the freezer during summer for drinks that call for it, like mint juleps, mojitos and, yes, caipirinhas.

Of course you can use regular ice cubes, too.

Now measure 3 tablespoons of cachaca:

Add it to the glasses —

— and give it a good stir:

Voila! (Or should I say Hay!) Your caipirnihas:

If you want to make a bunch for a party, you can either do a pitcher, or you can have limes and sugar muddled in glasses before hand, and then just add the cachaca and ice before serving.

Caipirinhas

Makes 2 drinks

1/2 lime, cut into slices or sections
1 tablespoon sugar
Ice
3 tablespoons cachaca

Muddle the limes and the sugar rogether until the sugar is dissolved. Add ice. Add cachaca and stir. Serve.