Strawberry and Passion Fruit Caipirinha

There is no better way to get into summer mood than with glasses of strawberry and passion fruit caipirinha! The alcohol used is cachaça, that wonderful Brazilian licor that pair fantastically well with fresh fruit, especially citrus. Fresh and easy to make, it's perfect for long days and sunsets. And it looks like one too!

The text has been updated to serve you better. The recipe remains the same. Originally posted in July 2013.

What is Caipirinha?

It's a cocktail that uses cachaça, which is a Brazilian liquor, distilled from sugarcane. It's clear and is used similarly to tequila or rum. 

Caipirinha is originally made with limes, sugar, and cachaca over ice, but modern times added fruits and you can find many iterations. In South America though, we still drink it the traditional way more than any other.

Adding fruit

The combination of strawberries and passion fruit works. Not only in this drink.

They balance each other, add different types of acidity and have a synergy together that is amazing. It's like you taste both fruit by themselves but also individually.  So they found their way into a caipi (short for caipirinha around here). 

The thing is to add the right amount for it to have enough of both fruits and liquor without them overpowering each other. Passion fruit, with its lemony side, substitutes the original lime.

Simple steps 

1. Put sugar and fruit in the glasses you want to serve the drink.
2. With a muddler (a bartender tool used to mash or muddle fruit, similar to the pestle) mash the fruit and sugar. It will start to release juices and become soupy (image below).
3. Add cachaca and ice.
4. Drink before it waters down too much.

Truth is I first became enthralled with this fruit mixture due to a caipiroska a bartender friend made for me once. Some years ago, while looking into the possibility of opening a bar with some friends, we had a few drink-making demonstrations, preparing of the mise en place and all that accompanies cocktail making.

Have you ever set up an informal bar at a party? It's so much fun.

Preparing the fruit

• Strawberries: there's not much to prepare, but it's always better if they are in season because they are sweeter. Wash, stem and cut into small pieces so it's easier to mash with the sugar.

• Passion fruit: I use fresh juice whenever I can. And it's a good idea to strain it (image below). It will leave out some of the pulp, but also the seeds, which will not work completely, as they will block a straw or be uncomfortable to bite into with each sip. But it's your call. You can leave them.

I consider passion fruit citrus. And an intoxicating one. The smell when I cut it in half is so unique, and when I run a finger through some of the juice that remains on the counter the words that pop into my mind are fresh acid. There's a freshness about passion fruit that I can't find in any other fruit. It has nothing to do with the juice itself, it's the smell of it.

Top tips

• Ice: I use regular ice from my home freezer. But if you have access to more professional larger ice cubes so much the better. They last more so the drink takes longer to water down.
• Glasses: use glasses that can hold everything and have a flat base. You need it to muddle without breaking it (seriously, it almost happened to me once). Don't use martini glasses for example.
• Fruit: you can use other fruits, but this combination is the bomb! Be careful not to add too much. Test it with one drink. You should taste both the fruits and the liquor. If you use too much fruit you won't have enough space for the ice and the balance will not be right.
• Personal taste: adjust sugar, ice, and cachaca to your taste (image below, before adding the liquor). And use that ratio as a guide no matter what fruit you use.
• Sweetener: you can use simple syrup instead of the sugar. To make it, simply heat the same amount of sugar and water (½ cup of each for example), and when it comes to a boil remove it from the heat. Let cool completely and keep refrigerated.
• This is the homemade way of making this drink. If you have a cocktail shaker, use it to mix the muddled fruit with the vodka and the ice.

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