Cocktail, Recipes · June 6, 2016

A Simple Caipirinha Recipe

Name: A Simple Caipirinha Recipe
Prep time: 3 min
Cook time: 1 min
Total time: 4 min
Yield: 1
Cuisine: Brazilian
Ingredients: 2 oz Simply Limeade® juice; 1 oz citrus soda; 1 oz cachaça, or white rum; 1 tsp raw sugar; 1/2 lime, freshly juiced; 1/2 lime, quartered; 1/4 cup crushed ice; lime wheel for garnish

This post is sponsored by Simply Limeade. All opinions are my own.

Summer is coming… and with it comes the thirst-inducing, stifling heat.

Growing up, my family vacationed in the old country a lot: the Dominican Republic. Walking down the serpentine, dirt country roads under the Caribbean sun gives you the inevitable cottonmouth.

On one particularly scorching summer day, a kind woman offered me freshly squeezed ‘limonada‘ on my way back to my grandmother’s house. I will never forget her generosity, but what she brought out shocked me.

It was light green. The only lemonade I’ve ever had was a light yellow. This was the first time I had ever had “green lemonade.” I will always remember the sweet and refreshing drink on that hot summer day.

Green lemonade… makes me chuckle when I think about it. Dominicans don’t have different words for lemons and limes. They are both “lemons,” with the exception that a lime is referred to as limón verde (green lemon).

Then there’s another fruit that looks like a lime, but is called limoncillo, and the meaty flesh inside makes it neither a lime nor a citrus. Confused? Imagine 10-year-old me!

To this day, Simply Limeade® is the closest I have ever come to reliving that childhood memory. Simply Beverages™ use never-from-concentrate juices and never add preservatives, colors or artificial flavors.

When I see Simply Limeade in the supermarket juice section, my heart skips a beat as I remember the green limonada from a total stranger in the stifling summer.

Simply Beverages are known for being honest and transparent in their drinks. From Simply Lemonade to Simply Fruit Punch®, I feel confident that I’ll always have an all-natural refreshing drink to offer guests on our lanai.

Last summer my sister-in-law and I created an original cocktail, Lady’s Bluff, during a girls’ casino night using Simply Grapefruit®. It was a hit!

Kids will love Simply Beverages, as Simply Limeade tastes just like that hot summer day. And for adults, you can dress up the juices a bit with a spirit or two.

My go-to drink in the summer is the Mojito, but this time I thought I’d recreate a Brazilian favorite, the Caipirinha.

Caipirinhas are simple to make, requiring very few ingredients, and are quicker to make than a Mojito. If you’ve never had one before, this will surely enter your summer cocktail rotation.

Because the original recipe is a bit strong for my taste, I used Simply Limeade to tone down the alcohol content, and make it sweeter at the same time.

The best thing about using Simply Limeade as a base for citrus cocktail drinks is that you can leave out the alcohol and, with a garnish or two, also have a delicious mocktail for children and anyone that cannot consume alcoholic beverages.

I’m sure you and your guests will enjoy this cocktail throughout the summer.

Cheers!