How to Make a Caipirinha

The national drink of Brazil, the caipirinha is the perfect partner on a sultry summer night.

Step 1: Wash and cut lime Wash the lime and slice it into wedges.
Step 2: Muddle the sugar and limes Add the lime wedges and a teaspoon of sugar to the glass. Muddle them thoroughly.
TIP: A muddler is a fancy bar term for a blunt wooden object used to crush fruit. If you don’t have one, a pestle or wooden spoon will do.
Step 3: Add cachaça and stir Add two ounces of cachaça, a Brazilian spirit distilled from sugarcane. Stir.
Step 4: Add ice and stir Add ice and stir briskly. Now which way to the dance floor?
FACT: The caipirinha began as a rural drink and comes from the Portuguese word for hillbilly.