How to pour
a cachaça in
Cut the lime into eight wedges, remove the white center and place the wedges with the sugar in a sturdy tumbler.
Muddle the lime and sugar with a muddler until the juice is released; press down and do not twist, otherwise bitterness from the peel will come through.
Fill the glass with coarsely crushed ice and pour 5 cl of cachaça over it.
Stir briefly from bottom to top so the juice, sugar and drink mix, then serve immediately.
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The story
Rum and cachaça resemble each other because they both come from sugarcane, but not from the same part of it. Rum is usually made from molasses, which remains after the sugar has been extracted from the cane. Cachaça is made from fresh, pressed juice, and you can taste that: grassy, slightly sour and vegetal, while molasses-based rum is often rounder and sweeter. Rhum agricole from the French Antilles is made from fresh cane juice in the same way, making it closer to cachaça than ordinary rum. In Brazil, some of it is aged in wood, sometimes in native wood species.
The right glass
A caipirinha is made directly in the glass, so the glass must be able to withstand a muddler: a sturdy tumbler with a thick base of around 30 cl. Vertical relief helps with this, as it provides grip when the glass fogs up from the ice. If you drink cachaça neat, a small tulip glass on a stem works better because it concentrates the aromas; you can find these in the grappa glasses collection.
Stölzle Lausitz Kyoto tumbler 32 cl (6 pieces)
Bormioli Rocco Restaurant liqueur glass 8.1 cl Grappa (3 pieces)
Both sets together € 37,40.
The right tools
For a caipirinha, in addition to the glass, you use a muddler to muddle the lime and sugar and a jigger to measure precisely. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glass set (our pick 01) + 2 bar tools together € 56,85.
What does this pair well with?
Cachaça is most often confused with rum, because both come from sugarcane. The difference lies in the raw material: molasses versus fresh juice. Well-known rum bottles on our drinks pages include Havana Club and Captain Morgan. On each drinks page, you can read the alcohol percentage, what it tastes like, which cocktails it works well in, and which glass you need.
Variations & twists
The caipirinha is the best-known application; with vodka instead of cachaça, it is called a caipiroska. Replace the lime with passion fruit and you get a passion fruit caipirinha. A batida is the creamy side: cachaça with fruit juice or condensed milk, as in the batida de coco with coconut. If you want to get to know the drink itself, pour an amarela neat into a small glass. Want to read more? View all drinks and brands.
Serving tip
Make a caipirinha just before serving it, because muddled lime becomes bitter after fifteen minutes. Use coarsely crushed ice instead of whole cubes, so it chills faster and the drink stays a little thicker. Place the glass on a coaster, because the outside quickly becomes covered in condensation from the ice.
Good to know
What is the difference between cachaça and rum?
The raw material. Rum is usually made from molasses, the by-product left over after the sugar has been extracted from the cane. Cachaça is made from fresh, pressed sugarcane juice. As a result, cachaça tastes grassy, slightly sour, and vegetal.
What about rhum agricole?
Rhum agricole from the French Antilles is also made from freshly pressed sugarcane juice, just like cachaça. In terms of flavor, it is therefore closer to cachaça than to molasses-based rum. They remain two drinks with their own names and rules.
White or yellow?
Branca, also called prata, is clear and has been rested in steel; it preserves the cane character most sharply and is the usual choice for a caipirinha. Amarela, also called ouro, has been aged in wood and is rounder. In Brazil, native wood such as amburana is also used for this, adding its own sweet spiciness.
How much alcohol does it contain?
Cachaça is usually between roughly 38 and 48 percent ABV. In a caipirinha with 5 cl, the melting ice dilutes the drink as you go, but the base remains strong.
Which sugar do you use in a caipirinha?
White granulated sugar, two teaspoons per glass. It abrades as you muddle, extracting oil from the lime peel. Syrup works too, but then you miss that abrasive effect.
Why does a caipirinha become bitter?
From the white pith of the lime and from muddling too vigorously with the muddler. Cut out the white center from the wedges and press the lime instead of twisting it around.
Frequently asked questions
What exactly is cachaça?
A Brazilian distilled spirit made from freshly pressed sugarcane juice. That is the difference from rum, which is usually made from molasses. As a result, cachaça tastes grassy, slightly tart, and vegetal.
Can I use rum for a caipirinha?
You can, but then it is no longer called a caipirinha and tastes different: rounder and sweeter. Rhum agricole made from fresh sugarcane juice comes closest to cachaça. With vodka, the drink is called a caipiroska.
Which glass do you use for a caipirinha?
A sturdy tumbler of about 30 cl with a thick base, because the lime and sugar are muddled in the glass. If you drink cachaça neat, a small tulip glass on a stem brings out the aromas better.
What do branca and amarela mean on the label?
Branca or prata is clear and has been rested in steel. Amarela or ouro has been aged in wood and has a rounder flavor; in Brazil, native woods such as amburana are also used.
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