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Caipi's and cachaca (Reply to this comment)
by phreakazoid
I was driving down the street trying to remember the name of the active alcoholic ingredient of the Caipi's I learned to love in Germany (of all places) and passed a Total Wines. Not only did I find the Cachaca brand-labeled Pitu but also at least 15 other brands. Pitu is the middle of the road as far as price is concerned and makes a great caipi. The recipe I learned in Germany: dice a large lime, two if they are smaller. Dump the pieces in a large glass tumbler and press them thoroughly with a wooden dowel. Add two tablespoons of sugar (brown sugar adds to the exotic taste but refined white works as well). Fill the glass with crushed ice and add cachaca to the rim. Serve with a slice of lime and enjoy :-)
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Nov 13 '11
7:31 pm PST
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Here's an opinion from a former student of mine...she's from Brazil. (Reply to this comment)
by fitandfun71
Caipirinha ("kai-peer-REEN-ya") is the dimunitive of caipira, which means hick. So a caipirinha is "a little hick" or one you are fond of (dimunitives have a more general implication in Portuguese than in English).
Caipirinha is also the name of a popular Brasilian cocktail, sometimes considered the national cocktail. Here is how to make the drink:
Cut a fresh, clean lime into small wedges. Use about a quarter of a lime per drink (this seems extravagant, but in Brasil, limes are cheaper and more plentiful than here).
Put the lime wedges into a bowl and add granulated sugar. Crush the lime wedges hard until a lot of juice has come out. Until it dissolves, the sugar has abrasive qualities that help get some extra flavor out of the peel of the lime.
Put ice in a glass, add cachaca ("cah-SHAH-sah") and water to taste. That's it!
Imported Brasilian cachaca is probably more expensive than a fine light rum, and few people can tell the difference, so we usually make a variant with rum, which is called Caipirissima. If you use vodka, call it Caipirosca.
Enjoy! Saude! ("sah-OOD-gee" = to your health)
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Sep 06 '04
1:41 am PDT
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Re: A bit more info on cachaca... (Reply to this comment)
by fitandfun71
Thanks for the update. I had a feeling people must drink it straight but what I was told was what I was told. Here's my version of the caipirinha that a bit altered from what I was shown that night:
Here's my take.
Make some simple sugar syrup - use raw turbinado sugar. It's equal parts sugar and water. Add the sugar when the water is boiling. Then let it cool.
Get a lime. Cut it in half. Take that half and cut it into quarters. Place the quarters into a glass. Take some sort of blunt instrument and press down on the quarters. If you press too hard, the oil from the rind will escape and the drink will taste funny. All I have to say is practice makes perfect. You want to extract the juice of the fruit without letting too much the rind oil get out.
Add the sugar syrup to taste. I like about an ounce.
Add shaved ice. I have an ice shaver in my kitchen so this is easy for me. I suggest getting one at the local Wal-Mart - they are cheap.
Pour in about 2-3 oz. of cachaca - get whatever brand is available. Right now, I have Pitu in my cabinet. Stir well and enjoy.
As always please drink responsibility and never drink and drive. Personally, I NEVER have more than one caipirinha at a time anymore.
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Sep 06 '04
1:33 am PDT
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A bit more info on cachaca... (Reply to this comment)
by mr_alambique
I generally agree with the content of "Cachaca - Brazil's Answer to Run", but contrary to the bartender's opinion, in people in Brazil frequently drink cachaca straight up. In that form, it's called a "dose" (pronounced "do-ze"). The size of a shot in Brazil is 2 Oz., and last time I was there, a dose of good cachaca in a nice bar cost about 38 cents.
Caipirinha is pronounced roughtly “cai-pee-ree-nya”, which is the dimunitive of “caipira” which means “countryside” in Brazillian Portuguese. Thus the meaning of “caipirinha” is “a nice bit of the countryside”.
Cachaca is frequently referred to as "pinga" (literal meaning "drop"), and sometimes is called "paraty" in the Rio area. The official name is "aguardient de cana", but I have never heard anyone actually call it that - it's just used on the labels. I have heard that there is actually a difference between cachaca and pinga, in that cachaca is supposedly made with just the juice from the sugar cane, while pinga is made with both the juice and the pulp. I've been unable to confirm this, however.
There are two basic types of cachaca available in Brazil: Industrial, and Alambique. The industrial types are the ones most frequently available in the US, such as 51, Ypioca, etc. and are made in large distilleries. Alambique derives it's name from the medieval "alembic". It's handmade and processed in small copper stills. Think major-brand blended vs. limited-production single-malt scotch and you'll have the general idea. I’ve visited a few alambiques in Brazil. The most interesting of them was run by a man in his 80’s, and was several miles down a dirt road in the jungle near Ubatuba (on the coast between Rio and Sao Paulo). The cachaca from alambiques is usually aged in balsam wood and/or oak casks. Alambiques often offer free samples. Cachaca da Alambique is usually not used to make caipirinhas.
It's generally considered that the best cachacas come from the state of Minas Gerais.
For anyone interested, there is a small chain of stores in Brazil called “Tonel & Pinga” (“Cask and Drop” - http://www.tonelepinga.com.br). They have stores in Rio and Sao Paulo, and they claim to stock over 800 varieties of cachaca. They have free samples of about 50 brands. They also have free extended tastings one night a week. Taxi or designated driver required. :-)
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Aug 18 '04
2:04 pm PDT
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Somerville cachaca source (Reply to this comment)
by fleurdavril
Sav-Mor Discount Liquors617-628-6444
13R McGrath Highway (across from the Twin Cities Plaza) Somerville, MA 02143
They have the best cachaca selction I have found (at least 5 or 6 kinds)
cheers!
fleurdavril
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Aug 08 '03
9:31 am PDT
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Re: CHEERS (Reply to this comment)
by fitandfun71
If you provide an email address, I'll send it to you.
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Dec 25 '02
12:21 pm PST
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I love rum and cokes (Reply to this comment)
by ginzo
And would love this recipe!
Nice review!
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Dec 10 '02
12:49 pm PST
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Very informative... (Reply to this comment)
by mrkstvns,  in Restaurants & Gourmet
I'd never heard of this Brazilian derivative before. Wonder if it's similar to the aguardiente sold in a lot of latin countries...hmmm.
Nice job!
Mark
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Oct 01 '02
11:13 am PDT
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Cachaca! (Reply to this comment)
by megugrrrl
(It's fun to type 'cachaca' too.)
Nice review.
I see you found a spot for it - nice.
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Sep 30 '02
5:52 pm PDT
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