Drinklage #6: Caipirinha

 Caipirinha.  This drink is the official cocktail of Brazil, a place with a reputation for its year-round balmy, tropical heat.  Coming from a place like that, you know this has got to be naturally ideal for these hot summer evenings (well, for the few weeks remaining of summer, at least).  Sort of a boozy limeade, it's an exceptional drink which is quite simple to make!  Just 4 ingredients, and you've got the ultimate thirst-quencher.

The Caipirinha... almost as fun to say as it is to drink!

So, here's what you'll need:

• 1.5-2oz Cachaça:  A Brazilian spirit, usually can be found right alongside Rum in the liquor aisle due to similarities between the two.
• 1/2 lime
• 2tsp sugar
• ice

 And that's it!  Let's get to it then!

This is all it takes!  Well, aside from the ice of course.

 First, cut the lime into eighths.  Wedges would work, but in eighths the pieces are easier to muddle.  Toss half a lime's worth into your glass.

It's all like, geometrical and stuff.

 Next, add the sugar.  You can use any kind you want really, but I do have to say that a raw sugar works best with the other flavors in this, due to having more "personality" than simply adding sweetness and nothing else.  Sugar in the Raw makes a raw cane syrup which is AMAZING for drinks.

Free advertising, yo!

 Muddle the limes together with the sugar.  You may ask, "why are we muddling, and not just squeezing out the juice?"  Well, the reason for this is that the essential oils in the lime peel also make for an amazing flavor addition to the drink, contributing as much to the final flavor as the juice itself.
 If you're using granulated sugar for this step, muddle until the sugar's dissolved into the lime juice.

Erryday I'm muddlin'

 Next, put in enough ice to almost reach the top of the glass.  Crushed or cubed doesn't matter.

Don't worry about the ice watering down the drink... it'll be plenty potent.

 Now, let's talk Cachaça.  This is a liquor created in Brazil, which is made in a process very similar to Rum, but with one key difference:  whereas Rum is fermented from molasses, Cachaça is made from the fresh sugar cane juice.  This results in a cleaner, smoother flavor, not quite as heavy as Rum but just as sweet.  Also, despite having around the same proof, Cachaça's "purity" lends itself to much easier hangovers than what you'd generally expect from Rum.
 Since Cachaça is still relatively unknown outside of Brazil, if your local purveyor of fine liquors happens to not sell it you can always substitute Rum (there are even some other official variations like the Caipiroska which uses Vodka as the liquor component... it's a simple recipe, and thus very much open to experimentation!).

Hey... is that... DOS EQUIS GUY?!

 Pour in your Cachaça, stir the ingredients together, and voila:  you've just made a Caipirinha.  Easy, yeah?  Now just sit back (in your hammock if you have one), relax, and sip on this sweet tasty goodness while, I dunno, watching a sunset or something.

BEST... LIMEADE... EVAR

Sláinte!  (or, I should rather say, saúde!)