- Home
- Cocktails
- Rum Cocktails
- Caipirinha
Caipirinha
Cachaça, fresh lime and sugar, muddled and served over crushed ice. Brazil's national cocktail.
- Strength
- 23% ABV
- Standard drinks (US)
- 1.4
- Calories
- 328 kcal
- In the glass
- 3½ oz
- Method
- Muddled
- Cachaça
- Fresh Lime
- Sugar
How to Make a Caipirinha
- Cut half a lime into wedges and remove the white core.
- Muddle the lime with the sugar in a rocks glass until the sugar dissolves.
- Fill with crushed ice and add the cachaça.
- Stir well and top with more crushed ice.
Print the Pour GuideA true-scale card for your rocks glass with a line for every pour.
Free Pour With Your CameraLine up your glass and pour to the lines on screen.
Tilt Pour With Your PhoneStrap your phone to the bottle. It counts every pour and buzzes at the measure.
About the Caipirinha
The Caipirinha probably began as a lime, garlic and honey remedy in early 20th-century São Paulo. Cachaça and sugar made it a party drink.
Bartender's tip: Cut out the white pith at the core of the lime. That is where the bitterness hides.
Taste Profile
Sweet
Sour
Bitter
Strong
Fresh
Good to Know
- What glass is a Caipirinha served in?
- A rocks glass. The wide mouth puts the aroma of a citrus twist right under your nose, and the heavy base survives muddling and stirring in the glass.
- Is a Caipirinha shaken or stirred?
- It is muddled and built in the glass over crushed ice, then churned with a bar spoon.
- How strong is a Caipirinha?
- About 23% ABV after dilution, or roughly 1.4 US standard drinks (19 g of alcohol) per serve.
- How many calories are in a Caipirinha?
- Roughly 328 kcal per drink, most of it from alcohol and sugar.
- Can I make a Caipirinha without cachaça?
- Yes. Rhum Agricole is the closest substitute, though the drink will taste different.