This traditional Brazilian drink prepared with cachaça is very popular among gringos. Especially if your at the beach relaxing.
Like any great cocktail, art and skill are required to make a tasteful Caipirinha. Too much of any one thing – lime, sugar, or Cachaça - and the delicious mixture from Brazil will be anything but delicious. Too sour, too sweet, or too much Cachaça, and you have a cocktail out of balance. And like life, it's all about balance for any great cocktail.
Let's start with the basics: what is a Caipirinha, and how is it made? The national cocktail of Brazil, the Caipirinha is a combination of muddled lime, sugar, and Cachaça served on the rocks in a rocks glass. Take a good size lime, cut it into 8 wedges, and place 4 wedges in a rocks glass. Add two teaspoons of sugar, mash the lime and sugar with a muddler for 15 seconds, and add crushed ice up to the rim of the glass. Add two ounces of Cachaça, stir thoroughly, and garnish with a lime wedge. Sounds pretty simple, right?

See the instructions on video:

As you've probably figured out and seen on various cocktail menus and restaurants, the Caipirinha has a lot of legs. Sure, the lime version is the classic, and it should be – the perfect combination of the sweet, the sour and the fruit. However, there is a lot that can be created and explored substituting or adding alternative fruits to the recipe. Think about the array of fresh fruits that you can find, and which ones are your favorites, and you have some great Fresh Fruit Caipirinha options. In Brazil, some of the most popular are passion fruit (maracuja), pineapple (abacaxi), mixed berries (frutas vermelhas), and grape (uva) Caipirinhas. However, the list goes on from there: Tangerine, Kiwi, Strawberry, Raspberry, Blackberry, Orange, Pomegranate, Peach, Grapefruit, Kumquat, and Melon. Throw in some herbs, like Cilantro, Mint, or even Basil (one of my favorites is Strawberry and Basil). Try Watermelon - with Cilantro and Red Pepper. Or Pineapple - with Mint. Or Cucumber with honey and lime.