Nitrate & Nitrite Free Caipirinha
Brazil's national cocktail is one of the most refreshing drinks you can make at home, and it comes together with just four simple ingredients. Fresh lime, sugar, cachaça, and crushed ice are all you need — no syrups, no pre-made mixes, and nothing hiding on an ingredient label. That matters more than you might think, since many bottled cocktail mixers and flavored spirits contain preservatives that people following a nitrate- and nitrite-free lifestyle are trying to avoid. Here, everything is straightforward and clean: you muddle the lime wedges directly with the sugar to coax out every drop of bright, tart juice, then let the cachaça do its thing over a glass packed with crushed ice. The result is bracingly citrusy, slightly sweet, and dangerously easy to sip. It's the kind of drink that tastes like it took skill but really just rewards good technique and quality ingredients.
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Learn more →Ingredients
1 serving
- 1 lime, cut into 8 wedges
- 2 tsp granulated sugar
- 2 oz cachaça
- 1 cup crushed ice
Instructions
- 1
Place the lime wedges and sugar in a rocks glass. Muddle firmly, pressing and twisting the wedges until the juice is fully released and the sugar has dissolved into the juice, about 8–10 presses.
- 2
Fill the glass with crushed ice, then pour the cachaça over the top.
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