A classic caipirinha is usually made with lime, sugar, and cachaça, but this twist on the Brazilian cocktail swaps brown sugar for the white and adds tart tamarind paste and floral black peppercorns. Shake everything with cachaça to dissolve the sugar, then shake again with ice to get it frosty. Double-strain and top with club soda for a refreshing drink to pair with spicy foods like Chicken Satay or Pad Kee Mao.
What to buy: Tamarind concentrate, sometimes labeled as tamarind paste, is a tangy, prunelike, seedless paste that is popular in Southeast Asian and Latin American cooking. It can be found in Latin and Asian markets or online. Avoid tamarind pulp, which contains large pitlike seeds.
Cachaça, a sugarcane-derived spirit with a 500-year history, can be found at most well-stocked liquor stores.
- Yields: 1 drink
- Difficulty: Easy
- Total: Under 5 mins
- Active: Under 5 mins
Ingredients (7)
- Ice
- 2 lime wedges
- 1 tablespoon packed dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon tamarind paste
- 1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- 2 ounces cachaça
- 2 ounces club soda, chilled
Instructions
- Fill a cocktail glass with ice and set it aside.
- Place 1 of the lime wedges, the brown sugar, tamarind paste, and peppercorns in a cocktail shaker and muddle gently. Add the cachaça and shake vigorously until the sugar has dissolved.
- Fill the shaker halfway with ice and shake until the outside is frosty, about 20 to 30 seconds. Place a small, fine-mesh strainer over the cocktail glass, fit a standard cocktail strainer over the shaker, and pour the cocktail through both strainers into the glass.
- Squeeze the remaining lime wedge into the cocktail and add it to the glass. Top with the club soda, stir gently to combine, and serve.
