Caipirinha

Unlike many cocktail recipes that serve as rubrics for experimentation, a classic Caipirinha recipe requires precision—especially if it’s your first time making one. It might be tempting to simplify the Brazilian cocktail, which uses just three ingredients, by relying on bottled lime juice and simple syrup. Don’t do it. Muddling fresh lime wedges with crunchy sugar crystals gives this refreshing drink its signature texture and flavor; it’s even better if you do it directly in the glass you plan to serve it in. The pith and peel from those lime pieces provide distinctive character to the finished cocktail.

The backbone of the drink is cachaça (such as Leblon or Avuá). Called the national drink of Brazil, cachaça is a spirit made from fresh-pressed sugarcane juice. (Most rums, on the other hand, are derived from by-products of sugar cane production, such as molasses.) You can do all sorts of things with a bottle of cachaça, including swapping it in for tequila in a margarita or rum in a mojito or daiquiri. However, the Caipirinha drink is where this Brazilian spirit truly shines.

Once your Caipirinha cocktail game is on point, there are a few worthwhile riffs to try. A Caipiroska swaps in vodka for the cachaça, while a Caipirissima uses rum. And if you have fresh passion fruit, try this variation.