Here in South Florida your co-workers are likely to be from all over the Caribbean and South/Central America. My coordinator is from Brazil - home of Carnival, Samba and the Girls from Ipanema (some of the best of whom are boys, lol)!
And cachaca (pronounce caw-SHAW-sa).
Cachaca is a cane juice rum, typically quite young, caney and kicky. A tasting is soon to ensue, stay tuned. In the meanwhile I decided to put together this Brazilian classic national mixed drink, the Caipirinha (pronounce kai'-paw-REEN-ya).
The recipe is simple:
Half a lime cut into 2 or 3 wedges
Two teaspoons of a good cane sugar
Two ounces of cachaca (in this case Batuque brand).
First the lime and sugarwell mashedand mixed with a pestle in the bottom of your tumbler. Add cachaca, couple cubes of ice, mix and enjoy! Personally I find the lime just nicely softens, but without losing the cane. Just right. The taste is that nice puckery sweet/sour that is refreshing, healthy and delicious.
No scurvy in this household! I'd encourage you to buy Batuque, which is really one of the better cachacas. Even if you don't like it as a sipper, you can amaze and entertain your friends with this great Brazilian drink...
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Aside: AOC shill Preacher Ed, in his usual humble style put down this lovely competitor to his Martiniquean ti' Punch, saying "... don't get carried away with a big piece of lime or a lot of sugar. These are to complement the rhum, you're not making a caiparinha, where you want to cover the flavor of the spirit." Suffice it to say that not a few posters took offense. Source: eGullet.
Please note that the Caiparinha, ti' Punch and Daiquiri are all related and were developed in that order. I'm sure Sue Sea and I will conduct a smackdown sometime soon...
Recipe: Caipirinha - from Brazil
- Capn Jimbo
- Rum Evangelisti and Compleat Idiot
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Recipe: Caipirinha - from Brazil
Last edited by Capn Jimbo on Wed Dec 24, 2008 9:18 am, edited 1 time in total.
- Capn Jimbo
- Rum Evangelisti and Compleat Idiot
- Posts: 3550
- Joined: Mon Dec 11, 2006 3:53 pm
- Location: Paradise: Fort Lauderdale of course...
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Tips from a reader...
May I add a few tips?
A video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNjYzMm8kWQ
The goal is to get both some juice and a bit of the oil of the lime, but not too much or the result is bitter. Don't muddle too much. The Brazilians like their sugar, about two heaping teaspoons. The reader recommended shaking with crushed ice rather than the traditional method of using muddler.
Good luck!
May I add a few tips?
A video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNjYzMm8kWQ
The goal is to get both some juice and a bit of the oil of the lime, but not too much or the result is bitter. Don't muddle too much. The Brazilians like their sugar, about two heaping teaspoons. The reader recommended shaking with crushed ice rather than the traditional method of using muddler.
Good luck!