Move over manhattan – Brazil’s caipirinha is the hottest cocktail in town
- A South American favourite made with a potent sugar-cane liquor called cachaça is gaining traction in Hong Kong
The base spirit for this South American favourite is cachaça, which is distilled from fermented sugar-cane juice and is sometimes confused with rum.
The growth of Brazil’s economy, in particular its tourism sector, from the 1990s onwards, focused global attention on Brazilian culture, including the country’s food and drink. Brazil started exporting cachaça relatively recently, and as it became available internationally, bartenders around the world, keen to offer a taste of Brazilian sunshine, began serving the caipirinha. And when the authentic spirit wasn’t to hand, rum was substituted.
The caipirinha was probably born in sugar-cane country, in the state of São Paulo. It is thought to have been mixed as a refreshing drink for plantation owners. The name means “country girl”, presumably in acknowledgement of its rural origins.
Bartender Gary Regan says “King Cocktail”, Dale DeGroff, mixes a version using lemon and orange-flavoured rum, and that he has himself made a caipirissima using Peruvian pisco. There are also caipirinha-inspired drinks that substitute weaker forms of alcohol. A sakerinha can be made with sake, while a camparinha substitutes Campari. Popular Brazilian variants supplement the classic formula with assorted tropical fruits to make a caipifruta.
Alexis Offe, co-founder of Meraki Hospitality Group, which owns the Uma Nota Brazilian-Japanese bar and restaurant in Central, first came across the caipifruta on a recon trip to São Paulo.
“In São Paulo, they put different fruits in the caipirinha, so we wanted to do that, too. The team [at Uma Nota] creates recipes depending on the fruits available in the markets.”
Hong Kong, says Offe, is catching on to the drink. When Uma Nota celebrated its second anniversary, in March, he estimated that the venue had sold about 12,000 of its signature classic caipirinhas alone.
As with all cocktails, Offe stresses, the drink is only ever as good as its ingredients, and good cachaça is essential. The house uses the Germana brand, but customers can also choose from the selection behind the bar.
“It’s a strong spirit that varies in different parts of Brazil,” he says. “Some taste close to whiskey, some are closer to gin. There are cheap ones, which the Brazilians say are ‘gasoline’, and there are ones of the quality of aged rums. Some are aged in specific Brazilian woods that you can find only in the Amazon, which can impart a caramel or smoky taste.”
There is a good reason for the “gasoline” jibe. Brazil is a pioneer in the biofuels field, and most vehicles in the country run on fuel that contains industrial sugar-cane ethanol.
“The quality of the lime, sugar and spirit are each important because you can taste all three,” Offe says. “If you use a bad cachaça, you won’t get that freshness or sharpness of the sugar cane, and the following morning you are going to have a massive headache.”
The caipirinha is considered good for the common cold, because you get vitamin C from the lime, the sugar gives you energy and the cachaça, they say, is a medicine
Uma Nota’s five caipirinha-based signature drinks are: the classic; maracuja (passion fruit); abacaxi (pineapple); a fresca (fresh fruit of the day); and cawasabi (wasabi syrup).
“The classic has three ingredients – lime, sugar and the cachaça. It’s all about finding the right balance,” says bar manager Eshka Gurung, adding that his caipirinhas are less sweet than the original version. “The caipirinha is considered good for the common cold, because you get vitamin C from the lime, the sugar gives you energy and the cachaça, they say, is a medicine.”
The cawasabi reflects Uma Nota’s Brazilian-Japanese theme, inspired by the lifestyle and street food enjoyed by São Paulo’s large Japanese population.
“It’s similar to the classic. The difference is our home-made wasabi syrup. hat one we shake rather than stir, and garnish with horseradish, because the aroma enhances the wasabi,” Gurung says.
The cawasabi is my favourite. The syrup supplies a subtly spicy aftertaste but without overpowering the freshness and acidity of the lime and spirit.
At Spin Bar, in Wan Chai, you can try three variants of the caipirinha, and several of the town’s tiki bars, such as Honi Honi, in Central, also sell cachaça-based cocktails. A good selection is offered at the Braza Churrascaria Steakhouse, in Lan Kwai Fong.
