Review and Recipe: Making the Perfect Caipirinha with Leblon Cachaca

I’ve only seen Caipirinhas (pronounced Kai-Pur-Een-Ya) on restaurant menus, but had never tried them before. When I was offered a bottle of Leblon Cachaça (Ka-Sha-Sa) to try, I said “sure!” and then turned to my best friend, Google, and asked her what the hell cachaça was. Turns out, it’s a Brazilian rum-based spirit used to make all kinds of yummy drinks, including Caipirinhas which are the national cocktail of Brazil.

The Wall Street Journal said that “Cachaça is the next Tequila, and Leblon is its first high-end brand.” and I have to say, Leblon is gorgeous. It was a fantastic spirit for my first Caipirinha.

Leblon is a double gold winner in the San Francisco 2007 World Spirits Competition, and has a number of other awards under it’s proverbial belt.

One of the United States top bartenders, Todd Appel, who is currently working at the Crimson Lounge in Chicago said that one of the biggest trends he’s seeing for 2008 is that the marketing for cachaça will continue to grow and mature in similar fashion as Tequila has, and the cachaça based drinks will incorporate more fresh fruits and fresh ingredients.

If you’re looking to make the year’s hottest summer cocktail, first watch this video on how to make the perfect Caipirinhas, and then take a look at the recipe below.

The Classic Leblon Caipirinha

2 1/2 oz. Leblon Cachaça
1/4 Lime – sliced
2 tbsp superfine sugar

Place the sliced lime and sugar in a rocks glass and muddle well. Add Leblon Cachaça and ice and stir. Garnish with a slice of lime. (1 packet of Splenda or Equal can be used in place of superfine sugar)

(Image and video source, Leblon)