A Mojito Alternative: the Caipirinha
Tired of mojitos? Had enough of that sweet, tangy, minty deliciousness? After making far too many of our mojitos, I began searching for an alternative, and thankfully, finding one was easy. It’s called a caipirinha (kaip-eh-reen-ya). It’s Brazilian, simple to make, and isn’t a huge departure from the mojito, making it the perfect, slightly under-the-radar replacement.
Here’s what you’ll need to make one:
- A muddler
- Crushed ice
- one-half of a lime, cut into wedges
- approx. 2 tsp of sugar (more or less to taste)
- approx. 2.5oz of Cachaça (vodka or any non-spiced rum would also work)*
…and here’s how you make it (you can do this directly in a glass if you like, but I prefer to do it in a shaker. Once I’m done shaking, rather than straining, I empty the entire contents of the shaker into the glass):
- Muddle together** the lime wedges and sugar.
- Fill glass with the crushed ice.
- Add booze, mix, and serve.
And that’s it. Simple, tart, slightly sweet, and delicious. If someone you know likes mojitos and is looking for a change of pace, steer them toward the caipirinha. And while you’re at it, make one for yourself. You can thank me later.
* When made with vodka, this drink is called a caipiroshka. When made with rum, it’s called a caipiríssima.
** If you aren’t familiar with muddling, check out our mojito post for an explanation.
Dial M for Mojito
With the summer months nearly upon us, I thought I’d post my favorite warm-weather drink: the mojito.
Muddle together in a tall glass:
- A large sprig of mint
- 3/4 oz of simple syrup
Add:
- The juice of half a lime (drop the hull in after juicing)
- 2 oz light rum
- Enough crushed ice to fill the glass
- Soda water
Stir gently.
Muddling, for those not familiar with the technique, is the process of combining a solid ingredient with a small amount of liquid by mashing it with a blunt object (you can buy a muddler designed for the task, or use a similarly shaped object like a wooden spoon). In this case, it’s nigh-impossible to over-muddle, so don’t skimp. If you can still see whole mint leaves, you aren’t done yet.
A common mojito mistake is muddling the lime together with the mint and syrup. Don’t do this; you’ll just end up imparting an undesirable bitter flavor to the drink.
Be sure to use crushed ice, not cubes, and completely fill the glass with it. You should only need a few ounces of soda water to fill the cracks. Somewhat counterintuitively, using more ice will actually result in a colder, less diluted drink.
Also make sure you use a light rum, such as Bacardi Superior or Cruzan Light (my personal favorite). Dark and/or spiced rums will overpower the delicate lime/mint flavor of the drink.
A Dark and Stormy is Delicious and Simple
My choice of drink, much like my music, depends on the season. I don’t drink margaritas in winter the same way I don’t listen to “sad bastard music” in the summer. So with Spring upon us, it’s time to put away the winter booze and break out the fun stuff.
Rum may not be my usual go-to liquor, but I thought it high-time I try something new. Enter the Dark and Stormy. A rum-based “fizz”, the recipe is simple:
- Fill highball glass with ice
- Add 1 3/4oz dark rum
- Cut 1/2 lime in 4 slices, squeeze into the drink and drop them in
- Top up with ginger beer and stir
That’s it. The hardest part of this recipe will be finding ginger beer (I finally managed to find a 4-pack at World Market). Ginger beer, which shouldn’t be confused with ginger ale, ginger beer’s weaker cousin, is non-alcoholic, so it doesn’t add any alcohol to drink, but it does add the sweet spiciness on which the drink hangs. If you’re looking for the perfect spring/summer “adult” drink, the sweet/spicy fizziness and overall refreshing nature of the Dark and Stormy is exactly what you want.
