Victoria’s Favorite Finds

If you like cocktails that are easy to make but totally delicious and packed with flavor then you are in for a treat!

I recently discovered the most delicious alternative to a Mojito: the Caipirinha. Every time someone offers me a Mojito, I am so into the idea of it that I try it and then remember how much I don't like rum. All that sugar at the bottom of the glass is alarming too. Basically the only part I like is the muddled mint leaves.

I was at a tasting for Leblon Cachaca and I got to try out a Caipirinha, the official cocktail of Brazil. I was wary at first when the mixologist said "It's like a Mojito but made with Cachaca instead of rum." I honestly didn't know what that meant because Cachaca was new to me. It had muddled limes though so I dove in. What a difference the Cachaca made! It was less pungent than rum but not too sweet because of the muddled limes.

The Caipirinha is now my new favorite cocktail!

The national cocktail of Brazil, the Caipirinha is a combination of muddled lime, sugar, and Cachaça served on the rocks in a rocks glass. Take a good size lime, cut it into 8 wedges, and place 4 wedges in a rocks glass. Add two teaspoons of sugar, mash the lime and sugar with a muddler for 15 seconds, and add crushed ice up to the rim of the glass. Add two ounces of Cachaça, stir thoroughly, and garnish with a lime wedge.