Caipirinha

Caipirinha (Portuguese: caipirinha) is a Brazilian drink classified as a cocktail. Its main ingredient is cachaça (cachaça), but it also has lime or subtle lemon, one or two fingertips of lalo, sugar and ice.

This name was given around 1900, and comes from a mixture of “caipira” (a term that refers to the peasants who lived in the forests) and “Curupirinha” (Curupira was a mystical demon who lived in the forests, whose diminutive is "curupirinha"; also, this word is used to refer to the state of intoxication in which one begins to have blurred vision).

Ingredients to prepare the cocktail.

Features

It is made with local brandy based on cane sugar (cachaça) and is usually presented with straws, since the secret of the caipirinha lies in drinking the liquid from the bottom of the container, since all the lime juice and the sugar sits at the bottom, mixing little by little with the cachaça. Drinking without a straw is not recommended according to the experts in this cocktail, since the flavor is not the same since all the cachaça will remain undiluted on top.

Variants

Because the drink has become popular almost all over the world, there are different variants of it. In some parts it is prepared with brown sugar instead of white and, sometimes, the cachaça is replaced by vodka, then taking the name of "caipiroska", or by rum, in which case it is known as "caipirissima". Others prefer to add grenadine, so that it acquires a strawberry flavor. We can also find a derivative called "caipirisco", which is prepared in the same way but replacing the cachaça with pisco. Another alternative is to use wine instead of cachaça, known as "caipivino". On the other hand, in Bolivia the cachaça is replaced by the traditional singani. There is also the Caipifruta, where crushed fruits are mixed (such as pineapple, kiwi or passion fruit). And of course, the famous Batidas, cachaça with fruit juices. There is a variant in El Salvador, in the city of Barra de Santiago. It is prepared with lemon-mandarin (local variety of lemon), brown cane sugar, mint and cane brandy (guaro).

History

The origin of the caipirinha dates back to the 19th century. It was a Brazil from the time of the slaves, who liked to drink “garapa”, which is a sugar cane juice.

For historians, the caipirinha was created by landowners in the Piracicaba region, São Paulo state, during the 19th century, for parties and high-end events, reflecting the strong culture of sugarcane in the region. The caipirinha in its early days was seen as a good-quality local substitute for imported whiskey and wine, often being served at high-class cocktail parties, cattle sales, and high-profile events.

During festivals and rituals, they mixed said "garapa" with the cachaca They also mixed fruit juices or spices, and thus later the shakes were born. As the most famous was the “batida de limão”, prepared with lime juice, it was later and officially the predecessor of the caipirinha.

As time passed, the well-known lime shake evolved, as they added pieces of lime, since the peel gave it a particular flavor. The miracle was complete when man was able (using machines) to make ice, thus turning it into a more refreshing drink, and making it richer and more popular.

Symbol of Brazil

After the independence of Brazil, which spent a long time seeking its own identity through literature and art, while trying to make itself known in international trade, little by little the drink became known, although it was not easy, due to the immensity of the country and how isolated some areas were. Even so, the cachaça and consequently the caipirinha, has established itself as a common denominator among the majority of Brazilians, including foreigners.

It is a unique product that was manufactured locally, and was also considered as a remedy against the flu epidemic and against the sterility of men to have children that devastated the country (1918).