The Caipirinha: Fun to Make, Easy to Drink, Hard to Pronounce

Caipirinha (pronounced kie-purr-REEN-yah) roughly translates to "country bumpkin" and it is the national drink of Brazil, where it originated, and is a common Carnival drink. 

Those words are Brazil's most popular cocktail and its native spirit, respectively. Cachaça is Brazilian rum that is made from the fermented juice of sugarcane, as opposed to most rum that is made from molasses, the byproduct of sugar production. Cachaça is often more robustly flavored and vegetal than traditional white rums, but not always.

The Caipirinha is a rustic form of a Daiquiri: just rum, sugar, and lime. But the rum is cachaca, the sugar is usually raw or turbinado, and the limes are muddled and left in the drink.

The Caipirinha is a perfect cocktail to adapt for seasonal fruits and is fun to use with different fruit combinations. A collection of these recipes are listed below:

Caipirinha

2 fl. oz. Cachaça

Half a lime, quartered

2 tsp. Sugar (preferably a "raw" or turbinado sugar) or .5 fl. oz. simple syrup

Place lime wedges and sugar in a rocks glass. With a muddler press down and twist the limes to release the juice (and the oils in the peel). Add crushed ice, then cachaça and stir the drink. Fill up with ice.

Most cachaça made in Brazil is industrial in nature and flavor. It's a rough spirit so the bits of lime pulp, oils from the peel, and a more robustly flavored brown sugar soften it. When using a more refined cachaça (see below) I tend to use simple syrup and sometimes I even strain the drink and serve it in a cocktail glass, just like a Daiquiri.

Flavored Caipirinhas are another popular way to serve the spirit. Take whatever berry or fruit is in season and throw it into the glass with the limes to muddle it together. Should you host a muddle-your-own-Caipirinha party this summer, you can put out a variety of fresh ingredients for people to mix, much like a build-your-own-Bloody Mary bar.

The Caipirinha has become a global cocktail, popular in nightclubs and beach parties around the world. In Germany the drink has been popular for more than a decade. In the US, refined, boutique brands of cachaça including Leblon, Cabana, and Sagatiba help make the drink a little more elegant. They bring cachaça and the Caipirinha off the beach and into the cocktail bar.

Now we just need to practice their pronunciation so the bartender will understand us when we order one.

Staying healthy in Rio de Janeiro is a matter of having a good sense

The most common ailment of visitors in the city is upset stomach or diarrhea. You should plan on bringing some antacids, a stomach soother and a medication for diarrhea. The public drinking water in the city has a lot of chlorine. Drink only bottled water. While you will be safe from malaria in the city, in Brazil malaria is restricted to the region of the Amazon Forest (really far from the southeast region of the country). Outside this region the risk of contracting the disease is very small or nonexistent. Dengue fever has occurred sporadically in Rio, mainly during summer time. In recent years the government has made great campaign which has minimized the number of cases. This is transmitted through mosquitoes so bring a good mosquito repellant. Be sure to eat well-cooked meat and wash your fruit thoroughly or do not eat the skin.

There are pharmacies at practically every corner. Many do stay open 24 hours a day. In the Copacabana, Ipanema and Leblon neighborhood the major pharmacies Drogaria Pacheco and Drogaria Raia have several locations. In the Leblon neighborhood Farmacia Piaui is open 24 hours. It is located at 1283 Ataulfo de Paiva Avenue.

Hospitals and Clinics

There are two major hospitals in the city. Hospital Ipanema is located on Rua Antonio Parreiras in Ipanema and Miguel Couto Hospital is on Av Bartolomeu Mitre in Gávea, both public hospitals and normally very full. There are execellent private hospitals such as the CopaD’Or in Copacabana,Samaritano Hospital in Botafogo and Casa de Saúde São José in the neighborhood of Humaita. For medical services outside a hospital try the Galdino Campos Clinic on Av. Nossa Senhora in Copacabana. Travelers insurance is accepted in most places. If you plan on using you own health insurance, find out from your provider what you will have to do before you travel in case of a health-related issue.

Staying safe and healthy in Rio just takes some good common sense. Stay out of unsafe areas and take note of what you eat and drink. Come prepared for minor ailments and visit your doctor before you leave to get any required medications or vaccinations.

Rio de Janeiro's Beaches

Beaches are just as much a part of Rio de Janeiro as limes are in a caipirinha. Whether it’s Copacabana, Ipanema or Leblon – the Cariocas simply love their seafront promenades. A day on Rio’s paradisaical beaches.

The relaxed nature of the Cariocas is probably directly linked to the many days they get to spend on the beach – with sand between their toes, salt on their lips and the sun in their faces. As children, it is here that they learn to shoot their first goals, lob a volleyball or stand on a surfboard. In the public sports facilities on the beaches Rio’s youths compete to see who can do the most pull-ups. As adults they relax here and leave behind the daily grind, using the 4-kilometer Copacabana as a jogging course. If there’s one thing all the city’s inhabitants - across all age groups - have in common, it’s a cult of the perfect body and a veritable passion for fitness: in the shade of the palm trees you can spot grandparents doing squats or cycling.

If you’re visiting Rio over New Year’s Eve you can join in one of the world’s biggest and most vibrant New Year’s parties. As the sun sets, millions of people gather, all dressed in white – the color of the Afro-Brazilian goddess Yemanjá, who symbolizes new beginnings and peace. On this evening, it is customary to make rich offerings to the “Queen of the Ocean”. At midnight, the Cariocas walk into the surf and drop their gifts in the waves, including champagne, perfume and, traditionally, gladioli: White flowers for luck, red for love and yellow for wealth. This is followed by a spectacular firework display and live music. And so – with a dip in the waves – a day on the beach ends and a new year begins.