Build over cubed ice and stir briefly
Moscow Mule
Crisp vodka, zesty lime, and a lively ginger snap.
Muddle gently in the serving glass, then stir over cracked ice
Caipirinha
Brazil’s direct, refreshing classic teaches a gentle in-glass muddle followed by a short integrating stir.
Edited by CocktailSteps Editorial Team
- Time
- 4 minutes
- Level
- Easy
- Glass
- Rocks glass
- Approx. ABV
- 23% · Medium-high
- Tradition
- Brazilian
- Profile
- Sweet · Sour · Citrus
Ingredient totals
Ingredients
Amounts below make one drink. The method, Quick Check, and guided Make use these one-glass amounts.
2 ozCachaçaRecommended brandLeblon Cachaça
8 piecesLime wedgesRecommended brandSunkist Persian Lime
4 tspWhite cane sugarRecommended brandC&H Baker’s Sugar
Measured method · one drink
How to make Caipirinha
These steps make one glass. For more drinks, use the ingredient totals above to set up, then repeat this method for each serving.
- 01
Muddle lime and sugar
1 lime · 4 tsp cane sugar
Place 8 small lime wedges and 4 teaspoons white cane sugar in the rocks glass, then muddle gently without shredding the peel.
Muddle lime and sugar visual check - 02
Add ice and cachaça
Cracked ice · 2 oz cachaça
Fill the glass with cracked ice, then pour 2 oz cachaça over the muddled lime and sugar.
Add ice and cachaça visual check - 03
Stir to integrate
Stir · 8 sec
Stir gently for 8 seconds, lifting the lime and dissolved sugar through the cracked ice.
Stir to integrate visual check
Place 8 small lime wedges and 4 teaspoons white cane sugar in the rocks glass, then muddle gently without shredding the peel.
AI-assisted illustration of one step. Follow the measured method above; sound is optional.Key move
Press the lime just enough to release juice without pulverizing the peel
Technique note
Why this build works
Muddling lime wedges in the serving glass extracts juice and peel aroma that squeezed juice alone cannot reproduce. Sugar softens that citrus around 2 ounces of cachaça. Here the eight small wedges represent one lime cut into eighths; eight large wedges from several limes would shift the balance. Cracked ice chills and dilutes as the muddled fruit and sugar are lifted through the spirit. Aim for fragrant lime and distributed sweetness, not pulverized peel.
Common failure points
- The Caipirinha has an unpleasantly bitter peel flavor.
- Press to release juice, then stop. Do not grind the peel into scraps, and remove visible seeds before muddling.
- Sugar stays gritty at the bottom while the top tastes sour.
- Use level teaspoons of fine cane sugar, work it into the released lime juice, then lift from the bottom when stirring. Coarse crystals take longer to dissolve.
Measure or substitute
Vodka at the same 2 ounces makes a Caipiroska, while white rum makes a Caipirissima; neither reproduces cachaça's sugarcane character. Four teaspoons of syrup are not equivalent to four teaspoons of dry sugar because syrup includes water.
Recipe references
These references describe the drink or its ingredients. Our measured build and teaching notes are CocktailSteps adaptations; proportions and methods may differ from the reference.
Set the station
Tools
JiggerRecommended brandCocktail Kingdom Japanese Style Jigger
MuddlerRecommended brandCocktail Kingdom Bad Ass Muddler
Bar spoonRecommended brandCocktail Kingdom Teardrop Barspoon
Rocks glassRecommended brandRIEDEL Drink Specific Rocks Glass
Choose your bottle
Bottle buying guide
Best fit is our default. Spend less with Smart buy, or choose Upgrade when you want more character.
Cachaça
Know the pour
Medium-high
A full cachaça pour opened by lime juice, sugar, and cracked ice.
Contains alcohol. Serve only to adults of legal drinking age and enjoy responsibly.
