Move over manhattan – Brazil’s caipirinha is the hottest cocktail in town

A South American favourite made with a potent sugar-cane liquor called cachaça is gaining traction in Hong Kong

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Eshka Gurung mixes a caipirinha at Uma Nota, in Central, Hong Kong. Photo: Chen XIaomei

Published: 7:00pm, 29 Jun 2019Updated: 8:08pm, 29 Jun 2019

Many cocktails created in the 19th century, such as the old fashioned and the manhattan, became well known internationally, but the caipirinha, Brazil’s national drink, arrived late to the party.

The base spirit for this South American favourite is cachaça, which is distilled from fermented sugar-cane juice and is sometimes confused with rum.

The growth of Brazil’s economy, in particular its tourism sector, from the 1990s onwards, focused global attention on Brazilian culture, including the country’s food and drink. Brazil started exporting cachaça relatively recently, and as it became available internationally, bartenders around the world, keen to offer a taste of Brazilian sunshine, began serving the caipirinha. And when the authentic spirit wasn’t to hand, rum was substituted.

The caipirinha was probably born in sugar-cane country, in the state of São Paulo. It is thought to have been mixed as a refreshing drink for plantation owners. The name means “country girl”, presumably in acknowledgement of its rural origins.

A sugar cane plantation in Guariba, in São Paulo state. Photo: AFP

There is an official International Bartenders Association recipe for the caipirinha – 50ml of cachaça, half a lime and two teaspoons of sugar, muddled. In Brazil, though, considerable latitude is given to bartenders as to the inclusion of other ingredients and their proportions. Like the dry martini and negroni, the classic caipirinha has also been reinterpreted using alternative base spirits. Examples include the caipiroska (vodka) and the caipirissima (rum).