The nice folks over at Leblon recently shipped Ms. S&C a bottle of cachaça. Cachaça, as you may already know, is the main spirit in latest and greatest muddled cocktail, the caipirinha. I’ve had cachaça, a sugar cane-derived spirit from Brazil, and caipirinhas before and really do find it a nice, less sweet, yet fun-because-it-is-muddled, alternative to the mojito. Especially if you are not in the mood for mint, and truth be told, I’m not always in the mood. (Of course, the mojito still reins supreme of muddled concoctions, Miss M!)
Mr. and Ms. S&C’s blackberry and lime caipirinhas
Mr. and Ms. S&C found the perfect occasion to pop open their bottle of Leblon cachaça. After a gorgeous weekend of perfect Spring weather and back-breaking yardwork, I placed steaks marinated in chimichurri on the grill, and served up a his and her version of the caipirinha. His version was traditional with lime only; hers was bright and fruity with blackberries. Both were equally refreshing and delicious and highly recommended. As mentioned before, juicy limes and crushed ice go a long way in elevating cocktails. Additionally, you’ll want to shake the ingredients well to fully incorporate the sugar. Lastly, my second caipirinha is always better than the first because I use the leftover limes and blackberries from the first drink and just add more.
The Caipirinha
makes one cocktail
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon superfine granulated sugar
- 1 lime quartered
- Blackberries (optional, but recommend 6 or more)
- 2 ounces cachaça, preferably Leblon
- Seltzer water
Directions
- In a mixing glass, sprinkle sugar over the limes (and blackberries)
- Muddle together until sugar is dissolved and lime juice is released
- Pour an almost-full old-fashioned glassful of crushed ice into the mixing glass
- Add cachaça and shake well to incorporate
- Pour mixture back into the old-fashioned glass
- Top with seltzer water
- Garnish with lime (and blackberries)
posted by Ms. S&C
Shoes & Cocktails 
These look delicious! Esp. the blackberry one. I’m so glad it’s spring!
Love it. I lived in brazil for a year and was a lover of caipirinhas. I would drink them until broke a glass on the dance floor, that’s how I knew I was done.
I can’t even pronounce the ingredients in that drink, but you make it sound so appealing!! If I had just one ounce of the creativity you have I’d be a happy woman. Well done Ms S & C!!!
Kathy, so funny that you say that. When the bottle arrived, the box contained pronunciation cards — cachaça is: ka-SHA-sa. And caipirinha is
pronounced: kai-pur-EEN-ya. I’ll treat you to one at Cafe Atlantico sometime. I had an excellent pineapple version there.
These are beautiful! I cannot wait to try the blackberry version out. I have a half bottle of cachaca that’s about 1.5 years old. . . I wonder if it’s still good.
I aced my phoenetics class in college – smoked it actually, I love that pronunciation cards came with a bottle of liquor. Branding at its best!