With the World Cup underway, there's never been a better time to kick back with Brazil's national cocktail: the Caipirinha. If you're unfamiliar with the Caipirinha, it is made with Cachaça, Brazil's most popular distilled liquor, sugar and lime.
Cachaça is like rum in that it also comes from sugarcane, but the two alcohols differ[1] , for a few specific reasons. Cachaça comes from[2] the fermented juice of sugarcane, and most (but not all) rum comes from molasses, which is a byproduct of sugar production. There's more nuance than that, however. The Brazilian government requires cachaça to have an alcohol content of 38 to 54 percent and must contain at least 50 percent of distillate that's at least one year old. Brazil has been making cachaça since mid-1500s, and it is an integral part of the country's culture. Thus it is important to Brazil that it distinguish its national alcohol from rum, whose roots date back to the Caribbean in the 17th century.
While the standard Caipirinha is simply cachaça, sugar and lime, you can spice up the standard recipe in a number of ways. You might add different fruits or fruit juices -- like passionfruit or strawberry -- or you could also add herbs -- like mint or basil. Once you start drinking Caipirinhas, you probably won't want to stop, so relish the classic and then try out some of these other delicious alternatives:
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References
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