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São Paulo, Brazil · Brazilian

Caipirinha (Brazil's National Cocktail)

Brazil in a glass: cachaça muddled with fresh lime and sugar over ice. Three ingredients, no fuss — how to cut the lime so it isn't bitter, and the right way to muddle.

By Table & Traditions Editors

Published June 21, 2026

A caipirinha in a short rocks glass packed with ice and crushed lime wedges, sugar visible at the bottom, bright and fresh in sunlight.

The caipirinha is Brazil's national cocktail and the great showcase for cachaça — the country's sugarcane spirit. Born in the São Paulo countryside (the name comes from 'caipira', a country dweller), it's lime and sugar muddled straight into the glass and topped with cachaça and ice. Unfussy, fresh and unmistakably Brazilian.

Yield
Makes 1
Prep
5 min
Cook
0 min
Total
About 5 min
Difficulty
Easy

The caipirinha is Brazil in a glass — cachaça muddled with fresh lime and sugar over ice. Three ingredients, built straight in the glass, unfussy and unmistakably Brazilian. It’s the great showcase for cachaça, the country’s grassy sugarcane spirit.

Cut out the bitter core

Quarter the lime into wedges and cut away the white central pith and any seeds. This is the one step that matters most: leave the pith in and muddling pulls out a harsh bitterness that ruins the drink.

Muddle the lime firmly

Unlike mint, lime wants a firm press. Muddle the wedges with the sugar to crush out the juice and oils and dissolve the sugar into a syrup right in the glass.

Cachaça, ice, stir

Fill with ice, pour over the cachaça, and stir well to lift the lime-sugar syrup through the drink. Use vodka instead and you’ve made a caipiroska — good, but a different drink. Serve casual, with pão de queijo or grilled meat. More in the Drinks guide.

Ingredients

Makes
1
  • 1 lime, cut into wedges (core/pith removed) Cut out the central white pith and any seeds — that bitter core is what makes a bad caipirinha bitter.
  • 2 tsp white sugar (or to taste)
  • 60 ml (2 oz) cachaça Cachaça is Brazil's sugarcane spirit — grassier and funkier than rum. A good unaged (prata) cachaça is classic.
  • cubed or crushed ice

Method

Tap a step’s number to check it off as you go.

  1. Cut the lime into wedges, removing the white central pith, and add to a sturdy rocks glass with the sugar.

    Why: Removing the bitter pith and seeds is the single most important step — leave them in and muddling extracts a harsh bitterness.

  2. Muddle firmly to crush the limes and dissolve the sugar into the juice.

    Why: Unlike mint, lime wants a firm muddle — you're pressing out the juice and oils from the skin and dissolving the sugar into a syrup right in the glass.

  3. Fill the glass with ice, pour over the cachaça, and stir well.

    Why: Stirring lifts the lime-sugar syrup from the bottom and distributes it through the drink; plenty of ice keeps it cold and balanced.

A quick, anonymous tap — no review needed.

Variations

  • Caipiroska

    Use vodka instead of cachaça for the milder, smoother caipiroska — popular for those new to cachaça's grassy funk.

  • Fruit caipirinha

    Muddle in passion fruit, strawberries or pineapple along with the lime for a fruity Brazilian twist.

  • Caipisake

    Swap in sake for a lighter, delicate version sometimes found in Brazil's Japanese-influenced bars.

Serving & Storage

Serve in the glass it's built in, over plenty of ice, with a short stirrer. It's casual and refreshing — Brazil's beach-and-barbecue drink.

Pairs with: Pão de queijo, Grilled picanha, Coxinha, Feijoada.

Storage: Build to order — muddled lime turns bitter on standing. The drink takes two minutes to make, so always make it fresh.

Nutrition

Per serving (1 cocktail (~120 ml))

Calories
190
Protein
0 g
Carbs
12 g
Fat
0 g
Fiber
0 g
Sugar
10 g
Sodium
0 mg

Estimated using standard ingredient data. Values vary with brands and substitutions.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is cachaça, and is it just rum?

Cachaça is Brazil's national spirit, distilled from fresh sugarcane juice. Rum is usually made from molasses. Cachaça is grassier, funkier and more vegetal — and it's what gives a caipirinha its distinctive character. Substituting vodka makes a caipiroska, not a caipirinha.

Why is my caipirinha bitter?

Almost always the lime pith. The white core and the seeds turn bitter when muddled. Cut them out before you muddle and the drink stays bright and fresh. Over-muddling the skin too hard can also add bitterness.

Cubed or crushed ice?

Either works. Crushed ice is common and chills fast; cubed ice melts slower for less dilution. Just fill the glass and stir well so the lime-sugar syrup distributes.

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Further reading