AKA Brazil’s national cocktail, just in time for the Olympic Games.

by SAMANTHA LEAL | JUN 16, 2016

You can’t think of South American cocktails and *not* think of the caipirinha. The lime-y, refreshing drink is a mainstay in Brazil—and is even the national cocktail. (When are we going to get a national cocktail, btw?)

If you’re not familiar, now’s the time to get acquainted. As one bartender put it: “The caipirinha’s kind of like the soccer of the cocktail world, in that everyone else in the entire world knows everything there is to know about it, but America’s still kind of like—who is this David Beckham guy?”

So what better way to 1) learn more about the cocktail 2) cheers to summer and 3) celebrate the start of the Olympic Games in August than by making your own?

<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/7-0ijfsEfQ/" data-instgrm-version="8" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% – 2px); width:calc(100% – 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/7-0ijfsEfQ/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Superfine sugar, a.k.a. baker's sugar, is our go-to sweetener for a Caipirinha. It dissolves easily and the crystals help to extract the lime peel's essential oils when it's muddled. #novofogo #organic #cachaça #caipirinha #Brazil #thedetailsmatter</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/novofogo/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px;" target="_blank"> Novo Fogo Organic Cachaça</a> (@novofogo) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2015-09-23T17:31:17+00:00">Sep 23, 2015 at 10:31am PDT</time></p></div></blockquote> <script async defer src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script>

In essence, it’s just three ingredients: cachaça (the national liquor of Brazil and obviously the most popular), sugar, and lime. Ready to make the most delicious cocktail, ever? Here you go:

Ingredients: 2 oz Novo Fogo Silver Cachaça or Novo Fogo Barrel-Aged Cachaça (or similar)

1/2 lime

1 tbsp sugar

Directions: Remove the white pith from the lime and discard it. Cut the remaining lime in slices; toss them into the glass. Muddle them with sugar in the glass. Fill the glass with ice. Add cachaça and pour everything into a shaker. Give it a go, and then pour everything (including the ice) back into the same glass.

Learn more about the cocktail here, thanks to NovoFogo:

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Here’s How to Make the Perfect Caipirinha
Marie Claire, June 16, 2016