Her Name is Rio, And She Ain't a Caipirinha
Make a different Cachaça cocktail for the World Cup
I'm a World Cup fan (go USA!), and so like the rest of the world, I'll be thinking about Brazil for the next month.
And I'm a caipirinha fan, too.
The beloved ubiquitous drink made with cachaça, muddled lime and sugar is a classic. It's an incredibly versatile spirit, similar to a rhum agricole and it benefits from thinking outside the lime-juice box.
Its slightly sour, herbal and bracing bite makes it a natural candidate for mixing with herbs and fresh vegetables.
For a drink that takes advantage of these qualities, I turned to my pal Jacob Briars, a drinks educator and trainer for Bacardi. He's been to Brazil a lot and knows his way around cachaça. His Blame it On Rio is more savory than a caiprinha, with a bit of spice from jalapeño and a dash of sea salt.
Recipe adapted from Jacob Briars
- 2 ounces cachaça
- 1 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 ounce simple syrup (1 part water to 1 part sugar, boiled until the sugar dissolves)
- 2 cucumber slices
- 2 jalapeño slices
- 1 pinch sea salt
- Cucumber slice to garnish
- Jalapeño slice to garnish
- Combine all of the ingredients in a cocktail shaker, and shake vigorously. Strain into an ice-filled rocks glass, and garnish with a cucumber and jalapeño slice. Serve.