This idea came to me in a caipirinha-fueled moment of creativity. At first I was just thinking a way of flavoring some sugar cane to use as swizzle sticks, but then I realized that the liquor left behind is probably going to be pretty damn good, too.
I’ll check back in on this in a month or two. It’s just Mason jars packed tight with alternating layers of sugarcane sticks and lime slices, covered in cachaça.
When Drew and I were in Brazil we got to visit an artisan cachaca distillery. Started in the mid 1800s by the grandparents of the guy who currently runs it. Way out in the Brazilian jungle. Mike Tonsmiere was with us and he was freaking out over the bat shit covered barrels!
The rind might look thick on a few of those slices because of the angle I cut them at, but those are actually pretty small limes with thin skins. If it turns out too bitter, then I’ll just use it like bitters instead.
I haven’t tried this drink yet. I think when I do I’ll use less sugar than I see in recipes to suit my taste. I like the infused swizzle stick idea.
Next time I’m at Yankee Spirits I might pick up a bottle,although it might sit until next summer as it’s the time of year where my cocktail thoughts go to whiskey and bitters.
Which drink, Caipirinha or limoncello? I have yet to make limoncello at home, but I agree that most homemade versions I’ve tried have been too sweet for even my tastes Most recipes call for just the zest of the citrus, but with no acidity from the juice to cut the sweetness they end up like alcoholic syrup.
My Caipirinha recipe is 1/2 of a lime muddled with 1 & 1/2 packets of raw sugar in the bottom of a tall glass. Fill with crushed ice, followed by cachaca. I’ll take that over a mojito all day, every day.
Caipirinha. I don’t see any talk of lemincello in this thread.
A caipirinha sounds good to me with a minimal amount of sugar. A mojito is only good if the mint has time to steep.
What’s the difference between cachaca and light rum. Isn’t rum made from cane sugar?
Cachaca is made from unprocessed cane juice, while rum could be made from cane at pretty much any stage of refinement. Basically, all cachaca is rum, but not all rum is cachaca.
As far as the lemoncello comment goes, my thought is that the steeping liquid for my swizzle sticks will end up along a similar line as a homemade version. Instead of lemon, vodka and table sugar; I’m using lime, cachaca and sugar cane.