Caipirinha recipe: cachaça, lime and sugar
Caipirinha is a Brazilian cocktail made with cachaça, lime, sugar and ice. You can serve it at a BBQ, but it is not a compulsory part of churrasco. Below is our simple variation with 50 ml cachaça and 2 teaspoons of cane sugar per glass, scaled consistently for eight servings. Offer an alcohol-free drink according to preference too.
Ingredients for one glass
- 1 ripe lime
- 2 teaspoons cane sugar
- 50 ml cachaça
- Crushed ice, enough to fill the glass
Use a sturdy low glass, a suitable muddler, a measure and a spoon. The sugar quantity is a starting point for this variation; limes and personal preferences differ. This is not the exact IBA recipe: that uses 60 ml cachaça and 4 teaspoons of white cane sugar with one lime.
How to make caipirinha, step by step
1. Prepare the lime
Wash the lime, cut it into eight wedges on a clean board and put them in a sturdy low glass.
2. Gently muddle lime and sugar
Add 2 teaspoons of cane sugar and muddle gently to release the juice. Do not crush the peel unnecessarily hard; taste the balance rather than pressing ever harder.
3. Add ice and cachaça
Fill the glass with crushed ice and add the measured 50 ml cachaça.
4. Stir and serve immediately
Stir gently to combine lime, sugar and cachaça and serve immediately. Extra ice or a splash of mixer changes dilution but does not remove alcohol from the serving.
Quantities for eight servings
The quantities below are exactly eight times the single-glass recipe, not advice that every guest should drink an alcoholic cocktail. Make only the servings wanted and offer water and alcohol-free choices from the start.
| Ingredient | One glass | Eight servings |
|---|---|---|
| Lime | 1 | 8 |
| Cane sugar | 2 teaspoons | 16 teaspoons |
| Cachaça | 50 ml | 400 ml |
| Crushed ice | Enough for the glass | Enough for eight glasses; keep separate until finishing |
Measure ingredients ahead and keep cut fruit covered and refrigerated. Preferably finish each drink in its glass. A large jug containing ice continues to dilute while waiting, making the ratio in individual servings less predictable. Do not use the board or tongs used for raw BBQ meat.
Variations: what changes?
- Caipiroska: replace cachaça with vodka. Ginger is not a required ingredient, and vodka does not automatically make the drink lower in alcohol or milder for everyone.
- Caipirissima: replace cachaça with rum. This is a different variation, not the same cachaça recipe.
- With strawberry: gently muddle in 2–3 washed strawberries to taste. This is a fruit variation on the base.
- Alcohol-free lime variation: omit cachaça and mix lime and sugar to taste with sparkling water or a suitable alcohol-free ginger beer. Add the sparkling mixer when serving. Check labels when avoiding alcohol completely and use clean, separate equipment. This is not a classic caipirinha.
Which BBQ dishes could you try with it?
Lime and sweetness can offer a fresh contrast to grilled meat, but sauce, chilli quantity and personal preference also determine the pairing. A fresh taste does not prove that alcohol reduces chilli heat.
Source for the classic recipe and variation names
International Bartenders Association: caipirinha. The quantities above are deliberately described as our own variation.