The Best Cocktail

I had my first Caipirinha in San Diego during a trip there in 2010, when we dropped by a Brazilian steak house near our hotel.

If you’re not familiar with a Brazilian steak house, or Rodízio , servers bring skewers of various cuts of meat, and slice portions at the table. When you need a break, you signal you’ve had enough. At our restaurant it was a small, lathed piece of wood that was red (pause) on one end and green (more meat, please) on the other.

In addition to all the meat glory, there were servers walking around offering this cocktail called a Caipirihna. Cai-pir-what? One sip later and this was my new favourite cocktail. A wonderful blend of tart and sweet, plus they pack a punch (if made correctly). Here’s a little phonetic to help: cai-pee-REEN-ya.

The spirit used is Cachaça (ka-SHAH-sa). Some call it Brazilian rum, but it’s actually a distinctive spirit. Cachaça is distilled from fermented sugarcane juice, whereas rum is usually made from molasses.

Here’s the recipe:

1. Muddle a quartered lime and 1-2 teaspoons of sugar in a rocks glass. You can also use a simple syrup.
2. Add 40 ml (1.5 oz) of Cachaça and some ice. Stir.
3. Garnish with a lime wedge.

You can also use a cocktail shaker. Just be sure to muddle the limes and sugar BEFORE you add the Cachaça. Confectionary sugar works, too.

Alter the ingredients to taste. I prefer mine stronger and sweeter. If you want to add more volume, just add a splash of sparking water.

The illustration was mostly done on my iPad Pro with the Procreate app and Tip Top Brushes. I then imported it into Photoshop and finished it off with Retrosupply Space Ranger brushes and Matchbook action.