This traditional Brazilian drink prepared with cachaτa is all the rage in Europe; I guess you could say it USED TO be Brazil's best-kept secret. (In 1995, I walked into a small bar in Domodossola, a small city in northern Italy near the Swiss border, and had a great caipirinha prepared for me by an Italian barman who loves Brazilian music!) Enjoy!
1 lime
2 ounces of cachaτa
Sugar to taste
Ice cubes
Wash the lime and roll it on the board to loosen the juices. Cut the lime into pieces and place them in a glass. Sprinkle with the sugar and crush the pieces (pulp side up) with a pestle. (We have a long, wooden one from Brazil, made specifically for this purpose) Add the cachaτa and stir to mix. Add the ice and stir again. It is delicious and potent!
You can also make a pitcher of caipirinha. Figure out how many people and multiply amounts. If you can't find cachaτa where you live, use a good vodka. The drink will then be called caipiroshka. No vodka? Use white rum and you will have a caipirφssima. But it won't taste the same! We also have a large JPEG of caipirinha.
Bottles of cachaτa, Brazilian sugarcane liquor. The one on the left was a present from the Brazilian Air Force group called Esquadrilha da Fumaτa, the most simpßtico group of top guns you'll ever meet. The cachaτa is aged in oak barrels and bottled at the Air Force Plantation and Farm in Pirassununga in the state of Sπo Paulo. As I say, just as long as you don't drink and fly...
Bottles of cachaτa in Paraty.
The city gave its name to the drink: parati is a synonym for cachaτa.
Tip from an American fan: Terry Grossman says he gets his cachaτa from a place called Warehouse Wines & Liquor in Connecticut. Their number is (203) 357-9151, and you're supposed to ask for Bill in sales. Bottles cost $13. So don't let any of it go to waste!