One of my favorite parts of traveling, is bringing home a souvenir in the form of a recipe! Chile had that amazing Pisco Sour, and Brazil introduced me to Caipirinhas!

(updating this recipe from the archives – my travels to Brazil took place almost 8 years ago and I’m just as obsessed with this recipe now as I was back then… )
I’m an equal opportunity cocktail drinker and these Caipirinhas are amazing. Made with Cachaça, these delish cocktails make an appearance on just about every Brazilian menu. Most are traditional Caipirinhas like the recipe I’m sharing below, and some are inventive Caipirinhas with jazzy fruits and flavors. Cachaça, made from sugarcane, is Brazils most popular form of hard liquor and today I’m bringing it stateside.
Inspired by the dozens of Caipirinhas I consumed while in Brazil a many years back, I wanted to introduce Thomas to this drink and share it with all you guys just in time for the weekend. I opted for a traditional Caipirinha made with Cachaça, freshly squeezed lime juice and sugar. I topped mine off with a splash of sparkling water to give it a bit of fizz!
These are the perfect way to ring in the weekend. I’ll be whipping them up all weekend long and pretending I’m back on the beach in Brazil with my bikini, sunglasses and a coconut! Ah – I miss those days!

Caipirinhas
Ingredients
- 2 limes, 1 juiced and 1 quartered
- 4 teaspoons white sugar (super fine if you can find it)
- 4 ounces cachaca
- sparking water to top
- crushed ice to serve
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker, muddle together the quartered lime pieces and sugar. Muddle until all the juice is extracted from the limes and mixed with the sugar.
- Add the cachaca, remaining juice from the other lime and some ice and secure the shaker lid and shake for 30 seconds.
- Pour the liquid into 2 ice filled glasses and top with a splash of sparkling water.
Oh my goodness caipirnhas bring me back to my time living in London! It’s where I was introduced to this drink for the first time and it was love at first sip.
I’m going to need one of these at 5pm today, sharp. Are you coming over? 🙂
Um, yes. I will take 3 of these STAT please!
Heck ya to a signature cocktail — I’ll help you R&D!
I think I’ll make a pitcher of these for myself!
These look lip-smacking delicious!
One of my favorites….even better when drinking in Brazil. Lucky you.
This is one of my all-time favorite drinks! Thanks for the recipe, lady.
I loooooove a good Caipirinha. A few years ago I had one with slices of kumquat muddled with the lime. So yum.
I love that you make a drink after every exotic travel! Brings you right back!!
I agree you need to bring a signature cocktail back from you travels as this look amazing and refreshing!
Sign me up, that drink looks fabulous!
[…] Caipirinhas […]
Your trip sounds amazing. I love going all regional with cocktails and food, but Brazil isn’t one I usually *virtually* travel to. I actually have a bottle of Cachaca in the back of my liquor cabinet…you’ve inspired me to make Caipirinas with Brazilian fare this weekend!
gimme gimme!!
[…] culinary tour of Brazil is going strong! Last week we indulged in a few caipirinhas, yesterday was some Pesto Broccoli inspired by one of my fav restaurants in Rio and this week […]
I don’t know what I’m waiting for…. I’ve got limes, cachaca and sparkling soda in da house! except that now it’s all I can think about and it’s only 10a…. I love the idea of a signature drink when you travel, I think I’m gonna start that new tradition, and I’m down for some R&D too! yum!
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[…] Gaby Cooking Get the Classic Caipirinha recipe from What’s Gaby […]
[…] 3. Caipirinhas: Show your World Cup spirit with this Brazilian cocktail, which consists of Cachaça (alcohol made from sugarcane juice), freshly squeezed lime juice and sugar. Be careful with these. They are as strong as they are refreshing. (via What’s Gaby Cooking) […]
Thanks for sharing this recipe. This is a great website with awesome pictures and some mouth watering recipes. I love Caipirinha and I have introduced it to many of my friends over the years. Most people don’t know this,but caipirinha used to be a medicine to treat malaria cases in Brazil in the early 1900s. Somehow it made it’s way into the city and from there it took the world. Although I love the classic Caipirinha recipe, there are also many other alternatives to choose from.
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[…] both have sugarcane spirit, lime, and sugar) there are two things that clearly draws a line between Caipirinha and a Daiquiri. This drink is more rustic and vegetal than most rums and it calls for the entire […]
[…] the Classic Caipirinha recipe from What’s Gaby […]
[…] …or MAKE your own cachaca drink. There’s nothing better than the real thing! […]
[…] Get the recipe here. […]
What flavor would you say Cachara is similar to?
it’s kinda unlike anything else