Classic Cocktail Of The Month: Caipirinha

Ever spirit has its quintessential cocktail that accompanies it: gin, the Martini; rum, the Daiquiri; tequila, the Margarita, and so on. For cachaca, that cocktail is the Caipirinha. A cocktail that is believed to out date the Martini, Daiquiri, and Margarita, the Caipirinha essentially is a cachaca sour that dates back over two hundred years. Like many cocktails that old, the Caipirinha was constructed in order to round out the sharp edges of the harsh cachaca of the time.


Finally seeing popularity outside of its home country of Brazil, the Caipirinha, along with cachaca, is now becoming a popular drink in many bars.



Caipirinha

- 2 oz Cachaca

- 1 oz Lime Juice

- 2 Teaspoons Raw Sugar

- Cut a lime into eighths and add 5/8 to the bottom of a rocks glass

- Muddle Lime to extract lime juice and oils

- Add Sugar and spirit to rocks glass

- Mix Cachaca, lime, and sugar until sugar is almost entirely dissolved

- Top with crushed ice and churn drink with bar spoon

- No Garnish necessary

Caipirinha

This month's twist on our classic, The Kiko (named after my favorite guitarist from Brazil), doesn't stray too far from the original.  The simple addition of a flavored syrup, and a dash of bitters adds a new layer to this Brazilian classic.

Kiko

- 2 oz Cachaca

- 1 oz Lime Juice

- 1/2 oz Blueberry Rosemary Syrup

- 1 Dash of Bittermens Tiki Bitters

- Cut a lime into eighths and add 5/8 to the bottom of a rocks glass

- Muddle Lime to extract lime juice and oils

- Add syrup and spirit to rocks glass

- Mix Cachaca, lime, and syrup until sugar is almost entirely dissolved

- Top with crushed ice and churn drink with bar spoon

- Garnish with lime, and a rosemary sprig

* Blueberry Rosemary Syrup
- 1 Cup Blueberries
- 1 Cup Sugar
- 1/2 Cup Water

- Add all ingredients to sauce pan on low-medium heat
- Let syrup simmer for approximately 30 minutes
- Macerate berries while stirring syrup
- Let cool
- Strain out seeds with fine mesh strainer
- bottle and store in fridge

Mixology Monday: Flores de Mayo

After missing the deadlines for the last two Mixology Monday's I finally get to participate In my first one!  This months theme is floral cocktails.  With spring in full swing everywhere in the northern hemisphere but here in Victoria British Columbia it's time to celebrate some of the wonderful floral ingredients that we are able to use in cocktails.  This months MxMo is hosted by Dave at The Barman Cometh.

"The challenge is to feature a cocktail that highlights a floral flavor profile or includes a floral derived ingredient, whether home-made or off the shelf.  With the ever expanding catalogue of spirits (and the kitchen labs of home enthusiasts), there’s a whole host of directions for you to choose from – elderflower liqueur, creme de violette, chamomile infused gin, hibiscus grenadine, rosewater, lavender syrup – or to create."
- Mixology Monday

I thought it would be too predictable to reach for a bottle of gin for this cocktail so I used what is promising to be my favorite spirit for this coming summer, Cachaca.  More importantly Sagatiba Pura Cachaca.  Sagatiba Pura is one of two cachacas (excluding private stores) available in British Columbia.  Although I have only tried Sagatiba, to put it nicely I haven't heard great things about the other numerically named cachaca.  Both Sagatiba Pura and it's aged counterpart Velha have wonderful vegetal or "green" characteristics in their taste and smell, which is perfect for the cocktail I wished to portray.

Greenhouse Fizz
- 1.5 oz Sagatiba Pura Cachaca
- 0.5 oz St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur
- 0.5 oz lime juice
- 0.25 oz Orange Tea Syrup*
- 1 inch of Fresh Cucumber
- Soda Water

- Add cucumber to bottom of mixing glass and muddle
- Add remaining ingredients to mixing glass
- Add ice and shake hard for 15 seconds
- Double strain in a collins glass filled with cubed ice
- Top with soda water
- Garnish with cucumber wheel

Greenhouse Collins

* To make orange tea syrup brew one cup of a strongly flavored orange tea( with at lease two tea bags).  Add tea to a pot with equal parts sugar over low heat until all the sugar has dissolved.  Let cool and bottle in your fridge.

Their you have it, my first of hopefully many MxMo posts.  I did originally want to do something with rose or lavender but just do to time restrictions with work I never got a chance to go buy some.  This tall refreshing spring collins is actually named after the location in which I photographed the drink.  Enjoy.