 | |
| Lime is known in Brazil as Limão or Limão Thaiti, the best for caiprinha |
 | ||
| Mandarim Lime (Citrus limonia Osbeck) - is known in Brazil as Limão Galego, Limão-Cavalo, limão cravo or Limão-Rosa. It is also used in caipirinhas and several other recipes. |
What cachaça (aguardente de cana, sugar cane spirit) should be used?
There are two main cachaça types, white and yellow, you should use white. completely transparent like vodka. It's known in Brazil as Pura. Cachaça price varies very much and the expensive ones are usually aged in oak barrels. You will not need an old cachaça to do a good caipirinha. A good white cachaça in Brazil has a price that ranges from 6 to 12 dollars. Good yellow cachaças has prices that ranges from 10 to 50 dollars.
How should I cut the lime?
As you can see in the videos in this blog, there are several ways to cut the lime. However there are some agreed practices. First you should cut out top and bottom caps and remove the center white stripe. You should use a very sharp knife to avoid loosing all juice on the table. You should cut in 8 pieces of equal sizes. Look for the best rated videos in the blog selecting the tab by category
Ice is very important to be used while smashing, as it make the lemon juice cold as soon as possible.
Sugar is abrasive and should be used when smashing to improve the zest taste.
Shaking is important to make sure everything is well mixed and mostly to cool the caipirinha. It should be served near frozen.
Main common errors:
1) too much sugar. A safe thing is to do it with less sugar and then pour more as you like. It is acceptable to not use sugar at all and replace it by any sweetener. However if you are trying to avoid the sugar to not get fat, you should avoid cachaça.
2) too much cachaça. Making it too strong it will not make it better. the correct amount is important.
3) Make a big batch and let it wait in a jar. Caipirinha should be made on demand. A trained barman can make one in less than 2min. So do not prepare a jar and put in the fridge. Caipirinha taste become sour after a while.
4) peel off the lime. Some people think that peeling the lime will make the taste softer. This is not true the mix of lime juice, sugar and cachaça without the peels is known in Brasil as "batida de limão" (lime shake). And is a distinct drink.
5) Not too cold. Shake it with ice to make sure it is very cold.
